This Can't Be Happening
by whereverwithyou
Summary: The prequel to my fic Pamela Halliwell: Wiccan Outcast. When a demon attacks Piper, everything starts to go downhill for the family. COMPLETE!
1. A Chill

"This Can't Be Happening"

A/N: My computer just went screwy, sorry if people got two author alerts or something!I planned to write this earlier but I figured reviewers would get mad at me for it, so I didn't until now. This is a prequel to _Pamela Halliwell: Wiccan Outcast_. The story begins in 2016, and Phoebe is six months pregnant with her second child (if you don't count her and Cole's demon baby as a child, that is). The only characters I own are Pam, Josh, Mark, Stella, and Andy. SPOILER for episode "The Seven Year Witch": I know currently in the show Leo lost his powers, but I'm discarding that fact… He's still a whitelighter in this.

Ages:

Piper: 43

Phoebe: 41

Paige: 39

Pam: 18

Wyatt: 14

Chris: 13

Stella & Andy: 4

CHAPTER ONE

"Ta-da!" Pam said as she showed Phoebe how she'd personalized her new room.

"Wow, it looks great!" Phoebe smiled.

"Thanks," Pam replied. "Aunt Paige helped me a bit, her being the most artistic and all."

"Well that's okay," Phoebe said, looking around. "It's still very you. Which _is_ a good thing by the way."

"I'm glad."

"I know I've said this before, but I'm _really_ happy you decided to move in here, Pam," Phoebe said, putting her arm around her daughter.

"I'm happy too," Pam replied. "This way I can spend more time with you guys, and learn more about the craft, all while not paying to live in a college dorm room!" She flopped down on her bed as she said the "dorm room" part. Once she had gotten accepted to a college out in California, it wasn't hard to decide to move in with her birth mother.

"Whatever you do in college, just don't drop out," Phoebe advised. "And no wild parties or anything! They just lead to trouble, believe me…"

"Are you saying _I'm _trouble?" Pam asked, an angelic look on her face.

"No, of course not," Phoebe replied with a smile. "I've never had to scold you in the past four years you've been coming out here. I'm just saying that yes it's college, yes have fun, but no, do not take things too far. Or you'll end up looking like me." Phoebe placed a hand on her stomach.

"I know. And I think Prudence Allison is a great name for the baby, mom," Pam said. "…It's gonna be so weird, having a sister all of a sudden. I promise I'll help out and stuff. As long as she doesn't keep me up all night during finals, then I'll turn evil on her."

"Well, I can't guarantee that," Phoebe said with a laugh. "Babies cry. That's what they do. And although sometimes you might want Piper to freeze her so you can get some peace and quiet…"

"Wait, what?" Pam interrupted.

"Oh, it was this thing, with this abandoned baby whose house was haunted… I was the only one with child experience, unless you count neighbor Dan, so Piper froze him."

"Who's neighbor Dan?"

"It's a long story," Phoebe said. "I would tell it to you, but I think the family reunion dinner Piper's making should be ready soon. She wouldn't want us to be late."

"Right," Pam answered, taking some clothes from her suitcase and placing them in a dresser.

"The point is, you're probably going to be up all night studying during finals anyway. Trust me, your little sister screaming her head off isn't going to affect your grade that much." Phoebe recalled how late she used to stay up studying for finals. They were torture.

Suddenly, they heard the front door open and close.

"Josh?" Phoebe called, "Are you home early?"

"Nope, it's me," Paige said as she entered the room. "Hey, cool, Pam! I like the way everything turned out!"

"Thanks," Pam answered.

"Okay, so why did you come over here?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh, right. A demon attacked in the Manor."

Pam was still getting used to how casually her relatives talked about attacks. "What kind of demon?" she asked.

"That's what Piper's working on now," Paige said. "He seemed lower-level. As we saw a few minutes ago, one of his powers is transmogrification, that along with energy balls and shimmering. So anyway, we need you two for when we go after him because chances are he'll be morphed into some nonliving object, waiting to take us by surprise. However Pheebs, _you_ can sense his emotions if he's near, and Pam, _you_ can read his mind. So come on, next door, everyone!" Paige let the mini caravan through the house, out the door, and into the Manor.

"Find anything?" Phoebe asked Piper as she placed her hand on a fresh scorch mark, trying to get a premonition.

"Yes," Piper answered. She was sitting on the couch by the stairs, scrying. "His name is Edzin and we should be able to take him out with this." She held up a potion vial.

"Alright, an easy one," Phoebe commented.

"And we might just make it back in time so dinner doesn't overcook, Piper," Paige added.

"That would be a plus, since Leo never remembers to take stuff out of the oven when I tell him to," Piper agreed. The crystal dropped down onto the map. Paige looked at Edzin's location.

"Okay then," she said. "Everyone ready to orb?" Phoebe and Pam took Paige's hands. Piper walked over to them and Phoebe stuck out her hand for Piper to hold. Piper began to reach for it, but stopped abruptly.

"You're tense. What is it?" Phoebe asked, sensing her emotions.

"I dunno… I just got a bad feeling all of a sudden, like a chill or something," Piper replied. "You sure we have this all figured out?"

"Yes, Piper," Phoebe replied. "Stop worrying. If anything bad was going to happen, I would've gotten a premonition. Let's go."

Piper took Phoebe's hand and she immediately gasped and closed her eyes tight. "What? What is it, what do you see?" Piper asked apprehensively.

"Just kidding," Phoebe smirked.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Very funny. Let's just get this over with."

Everyone nodded and Paige orbed them out.

A/N: That's all for now! Review!


	2. An Unexpected Blow

A/N: C'mon people, review! I know you want too...

CHAPTER TWO

The orbs vanished and the Halliwells found themselves in an alley.

"Sense anything?" Piper asked. Phoebe stepped in front of her, trying to pick out emotions.

"Shh…" Pam said. She had her eyes closed, separating the thoughts of everyone around. She heard a man's voice in her head.

"There they are," the voice thought. "And the pregnant witch is wide open for attack…"

Suddenly a nearby dumpster morphed into a rugged, dirty looking man. Everyone recognized him as Edzin, as they had seen his picture in the Book. An energy ball formed in his hands, but for some reason it was green…

Pam realized from what she'd heard that he was about to attack Phoebe. "Mom!" she shouted as Edzin tossed the ball. Pam lunged at her mother, pushing her to the ground. The energy ball barely missed them, but it continued traveling through the air. Before Piper could react, it hit her square in the chest. She went flying back and slammed against a brick wall.

"Piper!" Paige said, running over to her. Phoebe and Pam followed. They helped her sit up, and she had a large gash on her head.

"Oh God," Phoebe gasped at the bloody sight. Edzin approached them. He formed another green energy ball in his hand. "Okay Piper, blow him up!"

Piper outstretched her arms, but something was wrong. Her hands and fingers wouldn't move, and her power didn't work because of it.

"What's going on?" Pam asked.

"I don't know," Phoebe said. Edzin hurled the energy ball, but Paige deflected it. "Okay, throw the potion!" Paige did so. Edzin burst into flames.

"Okay, let's get you home," Paige said. She orbed everyone back to the Manor.

"Leo!" Phoebe called as soon as they landed.

He walked in from the kitchen. "Piper!" he said as he knelt down beside her and placed his hands over her wound. Phoebe looked over at the stairs, where Wyatt was standing. She was going to ask him to go upstairs, but remembered that he could handle this by now. He'd seen his parents been attacked thousands of times. When she looked back at Leo, there was no familiar golden glow coming from his hands.

"What's happening? Why isn't it working?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't know," Leo replied.

"Okay, Wyatt, come here!" Phoebe instructed. Wyatt rushed down the stairs and placed his hands over his mother's head. He couldn't heal her either.

"What's going on?" Paige asked, starting to panic.

"I don't think the Elders will allow us to heal her," Leo said.

"What?" Pam asked. "Why not?"

"We're not supposed to," Leo replied.

"They want you to let her die?" Pam asked.

"Uh, let's not think about that now," Phoebe advised. "Orb her to the hospital, we'll catch up."

Leo nodded and he and Piper left. Now everyone was scared. What in the world was going on?

"This can't be happening," Phoebe said, the fear evident in her voice.

A/N: Now, don't you just want to write a review about that? Please? Pretty Please?


	3. Waiting For Answers

A/N: Just a filler chapter here... sorry.

CHAPTER THREE

Phoebe paced the floor of the hospital by the bathrooms, while Paige sat in a waiting room chair, reading a magazine to keep herself calm. Pam sat with one of the earpieces from Chris' iPod, while he had the other. Phoebe rubbed her temples.

"You okay, mom?" Pam asked.

"Yeah, it's just hospitals and Empaths don't mix well," Phoebe replied. "Headaches."

Wyatt was staring at the snack machine. Suddenly one of the chocolate bars disappeared in blue orbs and reappeared in Wyatt's hand.

"Wyatt!" Paige scolded. "What is wrong with you? You're fourteen years old, not two. Put it back." He glared at her, but obeyed. "Are you _trying _to expose magic?"

"You're not my mother," he mumbled in response.

"Excuse me! No, I'm not your mother, and I know her being in there is getting us all a little rattled, but shoplifting is a serious crime in both worlds! You should know better," Paige replied sternly. Wyatt sighed. Everyone knew his rash behavior was from his worries for his mother's health.

Chris diverted his attention away from his mischievous brother, while Pam watched her own mom pace the floor. Paige pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed a number.

"Hey Mark," she said to her husband. "No, no news yet. We're not allowed to see her."

"Ma'am?" a nurse called from her desk. "You can't use cell phones in here. Please take your call outside."

"Sorry," Paige replied to the nurse. "I have to go. Just remember to give Stella and Andy a bath tonight, okay? Love you. Bye." She turned off her phone.

Suddenly a bright blue light shone underneath the men's bathroom door. Leo stepped out.

"Leo!" Phoebe said as soon as she saw him. "What did the Elders say? Why are they doing this?"

"They said healing Piper interferes with destiny," Leo said solemnly. "How's she doing?"

"We don't know," Pam replied.

"Umm… Halliwell?" a doctor said as she stepped into the waiting room. Everyone's heads shot around to face her. "I'm Dr. Reynolds, I've been assigned to your, uh…"

"Sister," Phoebe and Paige answered.

"Wife," Leo replied at the same time.

"Mom," Chris and Wyatt said

"Aunt," Pam chimed in.

"Right, your… family member. Follow me," she replied.

A/N: Okay, if someone doesn't review this, I'm gonna cry.


	4. Answers

A/N: Yay I finally got reviews! So this is why I'm updating so quickly!

Lucy Knight: As you've probably noticed, I did read your fic. I like it! I hope you continue to like this, too...

kendallpaigecharity: The underscores in your name won't show up! Hmph! Sorry it's all jumbled together... Anyway, you're my first reviewer for this story... yay. Thank you :) Glad you're loving the story!

Have either of you read any of my other fics? Because if you haven't read "The Lost Halliwell" then there's some things you need to know... Pam is Phoebe's daughter that I created. In my stories when Phoebe moved to New York she was secretly pregnant, had the baby (Pam) there, gave her up for adoption, went back to San Fran, became a witch, and met her daughter again in "The Lost Halliwell." Also there are some things in this story that you might not like happening, but they have to happen in order to lead into "Pamela Halliwell: Wiccan Outcast," the sequel to this.

I am **NOT **a doctor, I barely know anything about medicine, and I'm too lazy to research. So this is completely made up and will probably sound like a load of crap.

CHAPTER FOUR

As they approached the hospital room door, everyone instantly felt nervous. They had no idea what to expect. Would Piper have bandages all over her, or maybe tubes in her mouth? Sure, it was just a gash on her head, but that thing with her arms… Everyone held their breath as Dr. Reynolds opened the door.

"Piper!" Paige exclaimed in happiness as soon as she saw her sister. Besides a large gauze bandage on her forehead, she seemed to be fine. Her and Phoebe jumped on Piper's bed and hugged her.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again!" Phoebe said in a childish voice.

"I won't," Piper replied. She tried to return her sisters' hug, but for some reason her arms wouldn't extended all the way around them.

"Okay, what is that?" Pam asked Dr. Reynolds. Phoebe and Paige pulled out of their hug to hear what the doctor had to say.

"It seems that the blow to your head, Miss Halliwell, has disrupted some of the functions of your brain that control your arm and hand movements. We can give you the option of physical therapy, but I'm not sure how much it will help you," she explained.

"Oh," Piper replied. "I see."

"That's okay, Piper," Phoebe reassured. "It's okay. It's all okay. I'm just glad that you're healthy."

"Well, about that…" Dr. Reynolds interjected. Once again, all eyes were on her. "Um, we did some blood work, and… well, there's something there."

"Something?" Leo asked. "What kind of something? I used to be a doctor, I'll understand."

"No, you won't," she replied. "Because I don't understand it myself. It's something that's relatively new in your bloodstream, Miss Halliwell, because it wasn't in previous blood samples we've taken from you."

"Well, that rules out the witch gene," Paige thought.

"We've sent a sample of it off for tests, but no one here seems to know what it is," Dr. Reynolds explained. "But whatever it is… it seems to be hurting your body."

"What? What do you mean?" Piper asked.

"Well… we're still not completely certain whether or not this is related to this thing found in your blood, but from some other tests we did, there seems to be early signs of deterioration."

"Deterioration? What do you mean?" Paige asked.

"Bones, muscle tissue… they seem to be wearing away. This is of course very serious. And unfortunately, we're not sure how to stop it. I'm sorry." Dr. Reynolds answered. "We'll do everything in our power, but—"

"Excuse me," Phoebe said suddenly. She dashed out of the room.

"Phoebe, where…?" Piper sighed. Her sister had already left. "Pam, go see if she's okay," Pam nodded and followed her mother, who had rushed into the bathroom. She'd left the door open.

"Mom?" Pam asked, opening it a crack. She saw Phoebe kneel down in front of the toilet and throw up. "You okay?" she asked, stepping in and shutting the door behind them.

"No, I am not okay," Phoebe replied, tears starting to fall from her eyes. "You heard him think it yourself, Edzin meant that energy ball for me. That's got to be what did this to Piper. She doesn't deserve this. She's put up with so much in her life, and once again she's not getting a break from pain and anguish." Pam handed Phoebe some tissues as she flushed the toilet. "She's always been the strongest. The toughest. And I don't just mean as a witch, but that's screwed too if she can't move her hands. Piper's held this family together over the years. We all sort of rely on her one way or another. And now something the doctors don't know about, something demonic no doubt, is killing her. You have no idea how much it hurt loosing Prue. If I loose Piper too, I don't think I'm going to survive." Phoebe was bawling by now.

"It's okay," Pam comforted, hugging her mother.

"This can't be happening," Phoebe mumbled, hysterical by now. "This can't be happening…"

"Shh," Pam calmed. It was odd to her to act as a mother to her mother, but she couldn't think about the awkwardness of the situation just then. Right now Phoebe needed her. "It's gonna be okay. We'll fix it… somehow."

A/N: Please don't get mad at me for doing this! Review!


	5. We'll Get Through This

A/N: Sorry I didn't upload this sooner. I was forced to miss the new Charmed episode on Sunday and I just found a site that had it, so I watched it. It was good!

Lucy Knight: Well, looks like you're my only reviewer this time around. But that's okay. I'll keep this going for you, just like you will with yours for me if other people stop reviewing it for some reason. I'm glad you read The Lost Halliwell, too. Really helps, doesn't it? And you asked about a special order of the stories... well, I have all the ones with Pam in them listed in chronological order on my user profile page. Don't feel like you have to read them all though! There's like, 6 of them! As long as you know who Pam is, you should be fine reading this. But if I forget and reference something from another story, just ask me what you don't understand and I'll explain it to you. Enjoy the chapter:)

CHAPTER FIVE

The front door of the Manor opened and a train of Halliwells poured in.

"Bastards," Piper said, referring to the Elders for not letting anyone heal her. "Why the hell is _this_ a part of my destiny?"

"Umm, do you want to lie down or something, Piper?" Paige asked.

"I could make dinner," Phoebe offered. Everyone gave her an incredulous look. "Okay, nevermind. But _someone_ can make dinner."

"I'll do it," Pam said.

"And I'll fold the laundry," Leo suggested, eyeing the basket that was on the dining room table.

"Hey, hey, people, people!" Piper interrupted. "Would you _please_ stop treating me like an invalid?"

"Well… we're sorry, Piper," Phoebe replied. "We just want you to relax, and—"

"Well you better forget it, because I'm not relaxing until we find out what's in me and then get it out," Piper interrupted, as defiant as ever.

"Fine…" Phoebe agreed, although reluctance was still obvious in her expression. "But what do we have to go on? We vanquished Edzin."

"I'll get the Book," Piper said. She started up the stairs with all eyes on her. "What? Can't a woman walk up the stairs in her own house without everyone fixated on her?" Everyone instantly diverted their gaze and looked off in different directions. Once she was out of sight, they all turned back to each other.

"Why is she doing this?" Leo asked. "Doesn't she realize that her life just changed completely? She's a sick woman. She can't just go around doing the same things she used to. Especially if she can't control her powers. We can't let her out of our sight, she's too vulnerable to an attack."

"Chill, Leo," Paige advised. "You heard what she said, she doesn't want to be treated like she's completely helpless. She needs _some_ freedom."

"I know… I just don't want anything to happen to her," Leo answered. "I wish she would stop being so defiant."

"Yeah well, Piper's usually defiant," Phoebe reminded. "I'm happy she's acting normal. As far as I'm concerned, we're better off with a defiant Piper than an emotionally distraught Piper."

"She still shouldn't be left alone…" Leo sighed.

"Alright, well, I'll go check on her," Paige replied.

"All this is gonna take some time to get used to. But we'll figure it out eventually. We'll get through it," Phoebe ensured Leo. "_At least I hope we will_," she thought. But Pam was the only one to hear her mom's inner insecurities.

…………………………………

"Dammit!" Piper said, angry as ever at the attic door and at herself. She knew exactly how to turn a doorknob in her mind, but for some reason no matter how hard she tried she couldn't do it. Her hands seemed to be a step away from paralysis.

"I'll get it," Paige said quietly, approaching from the stairs. It seemed so easy when she did it.

"Thanks," Piper replied sarcastically, not even making eye contact with her sister. She headed over to the Book and tried to open it, but to no avail. She sighed and bowed her head, as if to accept the failure.

"Here," Paige said, still doing her best to be nice although she could tell Piper was in a wicked mood. "What page do you want?" No answer. "Piper?" Piper lifted her head to face Paige, revealing tears down her face.

"I can't handle this," she said. "I'm like a leech, I just feed off you guys. I can't do _anything _for myself anymore."

"You'll get used to it," Paige reassured, wrapping her arm around her sister. "You'll get better control."

"Yeah, but how long will that take? Will I die before then?" Paige was silent. Piper stepped forward and looked up at the ceiling. "I just don't get it. I kick evil's ass every day, I've been doing it so long I can't even remember a time without my powers, I am a Charmed One for crying out loud, and _this_ is how you repay me?" She raised her arm and awkwardly bent hand up in the air. To her surprise, a chunk of the ceiling blew off. "Great, my powers only work when I _don't_ want them to." She shook her head in disbelief. "This can't be happening."

Paige orbed the wood back into place. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure that wasn't the worst thing this attic's ever seen."

"You're right," Piper chuckled, remembering the time she'd gone into the future and Prue had completely blown the wall away. Paige took the Book from the podium.

"All of us, we'll slave over this issue, day and night. We'll figure out what Edzin put in you, and we'll get it out. We'll get through this. You'll live to be 100," she said, smiling. Piper returned the smile. "C'mon. Let's go downstairs."

A/N: Sorry if everyone saying "this can't be happening" is getting repetative. I just wanted to reference the title of the story a lot, mostly because I couldn't figure out the perfect title for the life of me. I finally settledon "This Can't Be Happening," and I hope it fits well...


	6. That Rebellious Phase

A/N: Yay, more reviews! Thanks you guys:)

Lucy Knight: Hmm, I never thought of that as foreshadowing... Of course I can't tell you if you're right or wrong, that would ruin the story. But there _is _a bit of foreshadowing in this chapter. And hopefully your questions about Piper will be answered also.

Jessi: No, that's not sadistic! That's the reason I decided to write this! I hope to bring out the other sisters' emotions as well.

Mediatorsk: Thanks for the complement! You've been reading from the beggining, huh? I'm glad somebody was...

CHAPTER SIX

Piper, Leo, Wyatt, and Chris sat at the kitchen table. All of them were eating silently. Piper struggled awkwardly with her fork.

"Do you… need some help, mom?" Chris asked cautiously. He didn't know what kind of mood his mother was in that day, so he could have either gotten a nasty "I can do it myself!" remark, a flood of tears, or a casual "okay." Luckily, it was the last one.

"Well, guess I'll finally be able to get my pre-motherhood figure back, huh?" Piper joked.

Chris smiled. "Here." He used his telekinesis to raise some Au Gratin potatoes into the air, where Piper ate them.

"Spaghetti night's gonna be a disaster," she remarked. Everyone exchanged a chuckle and continued eating.

"Seattle," Piper said all of a sudden.

"What?" Leo asked.

"I've never been to Seattle," she replied. "It would be fun."

"Well, maybe we'll go sometime," Leo replied. Wyatt let out a huge sigh.

"What is it?" Piper asked him.

"Stop it," he replied, irritation more than obvious in his voice. "All of you, just stop it!" He slammed his fist down on the table.

"Stop what?" Piper asked. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"This! All of this! You're all just okay with the fact that you're dying, mom!" He stood up. "You act like you don't even want to fight it! Am I the only one who still wants to save you?"

"Wyatt, honey, we all want to find a way to stop this," Piper said. "And we're scared, too. But we're not going to live with an omnipresent doom cloud over us. There are some things I would like to get a chance to do in my life, and I'm simply expressing that."

"You still shouldn't act like there's no hope, and that that's fine by you!" He stormed out of the kitchen.

"Wyatt…" Piper started, but she didn't follow her son. Instead she sighed and sat back down.

"It's just that rebellious phase," Leo assured.

"I hope you're right, considering that Chris came back from the future to stop him from turning evil…"

"And he succeeded," Leo finished. "There is no evil in Wyatt. He's going to grow up as a good witch, you'll see. He just loves you, and he's scared for you, that's all."

"Chris, why don't you go talk to him?" Piper suggested.

"No way!" Chris replied. "You know he'll blow up at me if I do that?"

The back door opened, and Phoebe strolled into the kitchen.

"Hey, guys," she said. "Sorry about interrupting dinner… Is Pam over here?"

"Uh, yeah, she's in the attic," Piper replied. "Working on how to save me."

Suddenly, they heard loud noises coming through the ceiling.

"Pam?" Phoebe called. She and Piper took off for the stairs.

……………………………

"Now, you are going to give me an answer," Pam said to the demon she had trapped in a crystal cage. "What is in my aunt?"

The demon had already received one very painful torture shock, and he didn't want to experience another one.

"It was created by Temerarius Demons centuries ago," he began.

"Temerarius Demons, eh? How come I don't recognize the name?"

"Because they were foolish enough to let it get out and destroy their entire species! For decades after that, every demon in the underworld didn't dare touch it, not until recently," he explained. "We learned how to control it, contain it in energy balls. It was clear to us that witches would be a lot easier to kill from then on…" Pam remembered the green energy ball that Edzin had had.

"How do stop it? How do you get it out?" she asked. "Don't make me torture you again…" At this point, Piper and Phoebe had entered the room.

"You can't stop it," he grinned evilly. "It will eat away at her insides until she dies."

"Pam, what are you doing?" Phoebe asked. Pam turned, surprised to see her aunt and mother standing there. The demon took the diversion as an opportunity to swiftly kick one of the crystals away and bust out. He formed an energy ball in his hands. A green one. He threw it at the cluster of witches.

Piper tried her hardest to freeze it, but her hands would not move and her fingers wouldn't unbend. Luckily, just before it hit her, Phoebe used her Empath powers to channel it away from them and into the wall. Pam threw the potion at the demon, who immediately burst into flames.

"Uh, hello, _what_ were you thinking?" Phoebe asked.

"We needed answers. I've been doing a lot of research, Edzin was associated with the Nosti Clan. The demon I just summoned was a member of that clan," Pam answered. "If figured he could tell us what we needed to hear."

"The demon you just summoned, don't you mean the demon that almost just killed us!" Phoebe replied. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? Use your head before you attempt suicide!" She was yelling by now.

"I just wanted to get some answers. And now we have them. Remember, I'm telepathic. He wasn't lying."

"I don't want to hear it!" Phoebe replied. "That was stupid and irresponsible! Now you go home and think about this! And no more summoning anyone unless I approve of it!"

Pam sighed and shuffled out of the attic.

"Wow," Piper remarked. "That's the first time I've ever seen you scold her."

"It's the first time I ever had to," Phoebe replied. "I wasn't too harsh, was I? I mean—"

"Phoebe, stop," Piper said. "It's hard to punish your child for the first time. It's probably twice as hard if they're already 18 when you do it, but don't go and take it back. You're teaching her a lesson she needs to know. You can't go soft, even if you hate being viewed as the enemy, or she'll never learn anything."

"The enemy?" Phoebe asked. "Oh, no! You don't think—"

"Phoebe, she'll be fine, don't worry. You'll probably be cool again first thing tomorrow morning."

"I guess you're right…" Phoebe sighed. "You _are _the veteran mother in this family."

"Please. You make me sound old."

"Sorry."

"It's alright. Go home and relax. And if you still feel like you want to cave in, just watch _Raising Helen _to remind you of why children need to be punished every once in a while."

Phoebe smiled. "Hey… uh, I know that demon said there's no cure, but—"

"I know, I know, stay hopeful," Piper replied. "I will." The two started for the attic door. "It would be really great though if I could brush my own hair again."

A/N: "Temerarius" is a Latin word meaning "rash" or "reckless." I figured I'd call those demons that, since they were "reckless" enough to let the thing kill themselves... Also, _Raising Helen_ is a movie where the main character, Helen of course, is afraid of punishing her niece because she doesn't want to be hated. Good movie!


	7. Pessimism

A/N: I've been trying to find a time to update this for days... sorry for the wait. I've just had so many projectsto do, plus yesterday wasMay 19... Woo! Star Wars! I'm such a nerd… This is a filler chapter, but I have the next one written already, so expect a quick update :)

Lucy Knight: Yeah, Pam forgives Phoebe pretty quickly. I was just demonstrating that even if Phoebe wants to be the "cool mom" all the time, she still needs to take some responsibility, especially if she's going to have another daughter soon.

reader: Thanks for your input! I intend to!

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Come in," Piper said as she heard a knock on her bedroom door. Phoebe came in. Piper was sitting on her bed, watching TV and changing the channels by putting a pencil in her mouth and pushing the button with it.

"I know this looks stupid…" Piper began.

"Don't worry about it, Piper, I understand," Phoebe replied. "It might help though if you took that physical therapy offer…"

"I am _not_ going to waste my time there!" Piper said defiantly. "And I am definitely not going to humiliate myself in front of a bunch of strangers while I try to eat cereal. No way."

"Y'know, sometimes the comparison between you and an old woman who refuses to stop driving is just uncanny…" Phoebe joked.

"Couldn't you just say between me and Grams?"

"Her too."

"So, what brings you into my bedroom anyway?"

"Oh, right," Phoebe began. "Well if you haven't noticed, I'm in my third trimester now, so I need larger maternity clothes. I was wondering if you still have any somewhere around here that I could use."

"Uh, I think there's some boxes in the back of my closet…" Piper replied. "You're probably better off asking Paige, hers are probably more stylish than mine, considering that I haven't had a kid in thirteen years."

"Yeah, well, she's at work and she re-hid the spare key to her house. I can't find it," Phoebe said. She was already on her knees, digging through one of the boxes in the closet.

"Why don't you just go buy some new ones?" Piper suggested.

"Well, y'know, pinch every penny…"

"Because you anticipate high medical bills from me."

"Piper…"

"No, it's okay, I don't mind. I'm glad you're willing to help us out if we need it."

"Of course, Piper. You know I'll always help you when you need me," Phoebe said, poking her head out of the closet.

There was an awkward moment of silence in the room, the only noise coming from the TV. Phoebe fidgeted with a shirt that she was holding.

"While you're looking in there you might as well see what other clothes of mine you like. You can have them soon enough."

"Piper, please stop being so pessimistic! You are not critically ill as of yet. There is still hope. Lots of hope. So no clothes for me."

Piper sighed. "We've tried every spell. Every potion. The doctors have tried every treatment. I'm taking like, ten pills a day by now. And still nothing is working. And it's all because the damn Elders seem to want me to die!"

"What happened to the 'don't give up hope' Piper?"

"She's on vacation."

"Well she better return soon, because if you don't want to fight anymore, the rest of us won't want to fight anymore," Phoebe said. She sat down on Piper's bed and hugged her sister. "Especially me. Negative energy has a really bad effect on Empaths."

Piper smiled. "Fine, whatever you say…"

"Agree like you mean it!" Phoebe ordered, standing up and taking something from the pile of clothes she had extracted from the closet. Piper sighed. "Chin up, missy. Don't be a pessimist. I will always be here if you need to talk. And I am stealing these tops because I like them a lot."

Piper tried to look happy as her sister left the room. But inside, she was feeling more and more frightened about death every second. How could she open up to her sister if Phoebe had only a cursory knowledge of what she was going through?

A/N: I can't resist doing this… here's a cryptic preview for the next chapter: **Piper's questions and worries are making her feel quite insecure… and there's no one alive who can help her.**


	8. Someone To Talk To

A/N: There's one part of this chapter that references another fanfic, one that's otherwise unrelated. (I like to keep them all as continuous as possible; it's sort of a character flaw I guess.) I would tell you about it now, but that might give some of this chapter away.

Lucy Knight: Wow, you really want Pam to be the hero... Of course, telling you what happens would ruin this entire story, but all I will say is that this does lead into my other story, "Pamela Halliwell: Wiccan Outcast" which from the title is obviously Pam-centered. (It's even written in first person from her POV!) You can read it if you want, since it's already published, but I will warn you that it will probably somewhat spoil this story.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Piper looked at the clock. It was two am. And she still hadn't slept a wink. Lately she had been having trouble sleeping because of all that was weighing on her mind. And opening up to her family members was too awkward, because no one understood. Even Leo, who was already dead, was no help. She had heard so many of his pep talks over the years that they all seemed repetitive by then. Besides, it was hard to talk girl talk with her husband. Was there anyone at all who would understand? Piper really needed someone to talk to.

She got out of bed and shuffled up to the attic. Slowly she got out five candles and lit them. Luckily she was able to control her hands, for the most part.

"Here these words, hear my cry, spirit from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide," Piper chanted. "If she can't help me, no one can," Piper thought.

A swarm of lights appeared and quickly formed themselves into a tall woman with long black hair.

"Piper, hi," she said, hugging her.

"Hey, Prue," Piper replied. "How's the afterlife treating you?"

"Fine, I guess. Same old stuff…" Prue looked out the window and saw how dark it was. "What time is it?"

"Oh around 2:15 in the morning, I guess," Piper replied.

"Whoa," Prue replied. "Okay, over here." She led her sister to the couch and they sat down. "If you're summoning me in the middle of the night then something is _really_ bothering you. What's wrong?"

"Well, uh… you guys probably know about what's going on with me…"

"Yeah. Yeah we do," Prue replied solemnly.

"I… lately it's really starting to sink in, y'know? …it's been two months, and no one has any answers yet…" Piper sighed. "I just need someone to talk to. No one understands. They can't help me. You're still my big sister… I always used to talk to you…"

"I'm listening, honey," Prue said comfortingly.

"Lately I've been wondering this… I just need to know… does, does it- _hurt_ to die?"

"Oh, sweetie, don't worry about that," Prue said, stroking her sister's hair. "You won't feel a thing. It's very peaceful, actually."

"Are you sure?" Piper sniffled.

"I was thrown through a wall, Piper. I'm sure," Prue smiled comfortingly. Piper smiled back.

"That seems so silly to dwell on all hours of the night, but it was just getting to me…"

"I know, Piper, I know." She put her arm around her sister. "Listen to me. Ever since I died, I've been watching over you guys. I've been there every step of the way. I'm here for you, Piper, and I want you to know how proud I am of you. You're handling this so well. Just stay strong, okay? And if you need me, you know how to find me."

A few tears fell from Piper's eyes. She hugged her sister and cried into her shoulder. "I'm not ready to die yet, I can't leave them… but I love you, Prue. I love you so much, a-and I miss you…"

"Shh," Prue comforted. "It's okay, I know. I love you too, and I miss you guys every day… but it's okay. I'm here now. And I don't have to go right away. If you want me to stay for a little while…"

"Don't leave me, Prue, please don't leave me," Piper cried. "I can't do this without you. I'm not as strong as you are."

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course you are," Prue ensured. "You know I can't stay forever, and I can't always physically be by your side. But just remember, I'm always watching you. I'll always be there in spirit, cheering you on, helping you through… you're not going to die now, Piper, not just yet. You're not ready."

"This… all of this… this can't be happening…" Piper mumbled.

"I know it seems like the Elders are really stupid for doing this," Prue said. "But you know as much as I do that it's all a part of destiny. Certain things can't be changed. Certain things have to happen. Like my death. It was all a part of the grand design. You know that, right? Remember when you saw how different things would be if I were still alive?"

"Y-Yeah," Piper replied.

"You see, then? We might not like certain things, but they have to happen."

"So I have to die?" Piper asked.

"I can't tell you what's in store for you," Prue replied. "You know the consequences. Just don't worry. Relax for now. Just relax…" In a short time, Piper was already asleep in her sister's arms. Prue dried Piper's eyes, laid her down on the sofa, draped a blanket over her, kissed her on the forehead, and stepped back into the pentagram of candles.

"_Blessed Be…_" she whispered as she left the attic in a swirl of bright lights.

A/N: When Prue was talking about the time Piper saw what things would be like if she had lived, that was in my fanfic _Acceptance_. It was set during season 5, before they vanquished Cole, and they thought that if they went back in time to vanquish him, everything would be fine. Instead, they seriously screwed up history. Also, in my fic _The Lost Halliwell_, (you already know this Lucy Knight! lol) they summoned Prue for the first time since her death, so that's why in this story Piper is reacting like seeing her is an everyday thing instead of being very emotional about her appearance. They've done it lots of times by now. :)


	9. Birth

A/N: I'm home from school today, so I was able to write this chapter quickly!

kendallpaigecharity: Yeah, I hate finals too. That's primarily why I stayed home today- mental health!

Mediatorsk: Nice to see you again. As you requested, I have wrote this chapter quickly. Enjoy :)

Leigh1986: Thanks for reviewing my story! Does you being "back online" mean you'll update your story soon? PLEEAASE? Don't worry, you'll see more of Wyatt and Chris in the next two chapters or so. Oh, and if there's anything about the characters that you don't understand, just ask :)

moonfirefairy: I've only recieved reviews for chapters 1 and 2 from you as of yet, but I'm sure you're probably reviewing chapter-by-chapter, so I'll probably get those ones soon. Besides, this is really the first chapter where I have an opportunity to thank you for reviewing!

CHAPTER NINE

"Hey mom," Pam said as she walked into the kitchen. Phoebe looked up from her laptop.

"Hi there," she replied with a smile. "You're home early."

"Yeah. Professor Taylor's lecture was surprising short today." Pam put her backpack down on the table. "Which of course means that for the first time in a month, I am not swamped with homework!"

"That's great! Lucky you. Care to help me with my advice column?"

"Having some writer's block?"

"Yeah… I guess it's just the stress of constant worry over Piper… plus Prudence Allison should be born in a week or two…" Phoebe got up and walked towards the kitchen counter. On the way there, she stopped abruptly. "Make that an hour or two."

Pam dropped the orange she had picked out of the fruit bowl. "What?"

"I just felt a contraction," Phoebe said.

"Oh my God, um, are you sure it was a contraction?" Pam asked, walking over to her mother's side.

"It may have been about 19 years since I had you, but trust me, you don't forget how those feel."

"Alright, um… couch. Lie down on the couch." Pam led her mother into the living room and gently helped her sit. She then propped some pillows up behind her head so she could lie down comfortably. "Can I get you anything?"

"Nope, I'm way too nervous to need anything," Phoebe replied. "It's been forever since I've had a kid… Pam, I want to make sure that you're not going to feel jealous towards the new baby, being that you never really got a childhood with me and all."

"Don't worry about it, mom, I'm fine."

"Well, you may say so now, but you never know… if you ever want to talk or anything, I'm always available."

"Thanks, mom," Pam smiled. "But I'm sure I'll be fine. Did your water break yet?"

"No, not y-yetttt!" Phoebe winced in pain. "There's another contraction!"

"Okay, okay, just breathe through it," Pam coached. "Remember the Lamaze."

"Alright, it's gone now. Those weren't very far apart… only what, 5 minutes?"

"That would be my guess."

"Well then I think we should probably head to the hospital. You okay driving?"

"Of course. I'll get your coat."

…………………………….

"Alright, Miss Halliwell, please have a seat over there until I call you," a nurse said. Phoebe and Pam headed over to the waiting room chairs. By this point Phoebe had gotten somewhat moody.

"I just hope you can get me in a room soon!" Phoebe called after the nurse. "I came here so I could have my child somewhere sanitary instead of the dining room table!" Everyone in the waiting room gave her a strange look when she made that comment. "Uh… my sister had a home birth for her son… he was early, and her bed was… oh, nevermind!" Phoebe sat down.

"So I take it waiting rooms don't process people any faster on the West Coast, huh?" Pam asked.

"Ha," Phoebe replied to the comment. "Did you call Paige?"

"Yep, she said she would bring everyone here right away."

"Good," Phoebe said. She was just about to relax when she felt another contraction. "Okay, if I don't get a room soon there's gonna be amniotic fluid all over this floor!" Phoebe shouted, hoping a nurse would hear. Instead she just disgusted the people around her.

………………………………

"_Why_ can't I have an epidural?" Phoebe asked the nurse angrily. At least now she had a bed to lie in.

"I'm sorry, Miss Halliwell, but I'm not authorized to give one. You'll have to wait for the anesthesiologist," the nurse replied.

"Great," Phoebe replied sarcastically as the nurse started to leave the room. "It would help if he was in the building!" Her water had broken about fifteen minutes ago, and ever since the Lamaze was just not working. "Where is everyone?" she asked Pam.

"Paige said they would come as soon as possible…" Pam replied. Just then the room filled with orbs. Josh instantly rushed over to Phoebe and took her hand.

"How are you doing, honey?" he asked.

"I've been better," Phoebe replied.

"Sorry, I was tied up at work," Paige said. "I was in a meeting. Couldn't leave."

"Well, at least you're here, unlike the anesthesiologist…" Phoebe started.

"She has to wait for him in order to get an epidural," Pam explained.

"Lucky you," Paige commented.

"Don't start with me, I'm in too much pain," Phoebe sniped.

"Gee, sorry," Paige said. She wiped the sweat from Phoebe's forehead.

"Don't take it personally," Piper whispered. "Most Halliwells are like this during labor, remember?"

"All I remember is pushing and lots of it," Paige replied.

"Well what about me, then?" Piper asked.

"When Chris was born, we were all in happy land. You couldn't be angry if you tried. And with Wyatt… Oh. I see your point."

"I'm too old for this!" Phoebe groaned as she breathed through another contraction.

…………………………………

About three hours later, Phoebe had received her pain medication and had successfully given birth to Prudence Allison Halliwell. The entire family instantly fell in love with the tiny baby. Josh cradled his new daughter lovingly.

"Hello there little Prudence," he said.

"Whoa, nickname please," Phoebe said. "This girl is going to be crazy if she actually _likes_ being called Prudence."

"Well, what then? Prue?" Pam asked.

"Mmm… I guess I should've realized that naming her after Prue would give her that nickname…" Phoebe began. "But I don' really want to call her that. It doesn't give her her own identity."

"Maybe we should call her by her middle name. Allison," Josh suggested.

"Yeah… that's pretty…" Phoebe agreed. She then got an idea. Using her Empath abilities, she sensed her new daughter's emotions, even if at this stage in life she didn't have many yet. "Y'know, if we're going to go down the Allison road, why not Allie? She seems like an Allie." Phoebe took the little girl in her arms. "Is Allie a good nickname? Do you like Allie?" she asked the baby. "What do you think, Josh?"

"It's fine by me," he replied.

"Good," Phoebe smiled. "Both my daughters now have nicknames!"

"Whoa…" Piper said.

"What is it?" Paige asked.

"I dunno, I just felt dizzy…" With that, Piper instantly collapsed onto the floor.

"Oh my God!" Phoebe said. "Paige, go find a doctor! Leo!"


	10. Take It Slow

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I just got an iPod, so I've been spending all weekend getting it set up and everything...

Mediatorsk: Yes, I did have to leave you guys hanging. It creates more suspense that way. :)

Leigh1986: Don't feel bad about your story. I know it's hard to find time for everything. And don't worry, next chapter has a lot about Chris in it. :)

Lucy Knight: I'm usually pretty bad with names too. Actually, as I was first forming the idea for _Pamela Halliwell: Wiccan Outcast_ in my head, I thought of Pam's younger sister as Allie, but then I was like, "no, I want it to be a 'p' name..." but I kept going back to Allie, so I decided to make it short for Allison, and Allison be her middle name, and her first name be Prudence after Prue... you get the idea.

reader: Thanks! I'm going to continue writing this no matter what the circumstances! (Unless I die of course lol)

CHAPTER TEN

Leo instantly orbed in. The first thing he saw was the tiny baby cradled in Phoebe's arms.

"Phoebe, I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner… the Elders…"

"It's not that, Leo," Phoebe replied frantically. "It's Piper."

Paige re-entered the room with a doctor at her side. He knelt down and checked Piper's pulse.

"Oh God, is she alright?" Leo asked.

"Her heart rate seems normal…" the doctor started. Everyone in the room let out a collective sigh of relief. "Do any of you have an idea why she might have fainted?"

"Umm…" Phoebe began. "It's a bit hard to explain. Dr. Reynolds is her main, uh, physician right now. Your best bet is to ask her for a medical opinion." She hoped that physician was the right word to describe what Dr. Reynolds did.

"Or, I could just get her into a room and have Dr. Reynolds come look at her as soon as possible," the doctor replied. "Which is what I will do."

………………………………………

Piper groaned slightly as she opened her eyes and took in her unfamiliar surroundings.

"How did I get here?" she asked Leo.

"You… fainted," he answered.

"What?" Piper questioned.

"Whilst standing in your sister Phoebe's room," Dr. Reynolds explained as she walked in.

"Right… Phoebe…" Piper turned to Paige. "How is she? How's the baby?"

"They're both resting comfortably," Paige replied.

"That's good…" Piper turned back to face Dr. Reynolds. "So, doc, what happened this time? How many more pills do I have to shove down my throat now?"

"None," Dr. Reynolds replied. "The ones you have been taking seem to have no effect, so I doubt a different brand will. Your fainting spell was brought about because your body was being overworked. I told you before that you should take things slower."

"I know, and I've tried…" Piper replied. "But it's just a bit hard. I've been kind of, um, seeking a lot of other opinions lately. That and alternative medicine. I've been trying some of that."

"Nothing that could interfere with the meds you were taking, I hope?"

"No. Of course not."

"Anyway, Miss Halliwell, the internal deterioration still continues in your system. So, your body trying harder than it did before to keep you the same way you've always been. Overworking yourself just adds to its exhaustion, until you faint like this. Or worse. You're lucky a brief fainting spell was all that you sustained. If this continues, you may fall into a coma next time."

"Oh. I see. I'll try my hardest to slow down," Piper swore.

"Good. Because from your latest scans, it seems that the process of deterioration is moving faster than it has been previously. You're only going to loose more and more of your energy, especially if you continue to be stubborn."

"Okay. I'm sorry," Piper apologized sincerely. She was so mad at herself for not taking the doctor's orders. Did she _want_ to die?

"Depending on how much you need to move throughout the average day… and how big your house is… you may want to take home a wheelchair," Dr. Reynolds suggested.

"What?" Piper nearly shouted.

"An electric one, of course. They're easier to operate for someone in your…" Dr. Reynolds looked at Piper's hands. "…condition."

"There is no way that I am going to ride around in some, some granny-mobile!"

"They're not just for the elderly, Miss Halliwell. It doesn't have to be permanent, of course, but I think it would be wise to rent one for a month or so in case you change your mind."

Piper looked at Leo and Paige. She sighed, hating the compromise. "Fine."

……………………………….

Paige walked back into Phoebe's hospital room.

"Hey," Pam said. She was holding her new sister, who was fast asleep.

"How's Piper?" Phoebe asked.

"You tell me," Paige said. In came Piper in the wheelchair, followed by Leo.

Piper looked at the doorway behind her. "Can Dr. Reynolds see us? Okay, good." She immediately jumped up out of the chair, as if riding around on it was like sitting on nails.

"What is that?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh, just another stupid suggestion of Dr. Reynolds'…"

"Piper, I thought we agreed that you were at least going to try it out," Leo reminded.

"I will, I will. But only if I need it, or if that pesky doctor is watching."

"Be careful, Piper. I don't want you to go into a coma," Leo said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"A coma? What's going on here?" Phoebe asked.

"We'll explain later," Paige replied. "It's late, we're all tired, I should get home to Wyatt and Chris…"

"I understand," Phoebe replied.

"Um, listen, I was thinking," Piper started, "Maybe we should all get a family portrait taken soon, since now we have another person to add onto the tree. We could use a picture for the Christmas cards this year.

"Good idea," Phoebe replied.

"Yeah," Pam agreed, although she telepathically knew that Piper's real motive for getting the portrait taken was so that there would be a memory of all of them together, before she started to visibly look worn and sickly, or worse… before she was dead.

A/N: I should be updating quicker now. I had a patch of writer's block, but I drove up to North Jersey today and got a lot of ideas! Anyway, here's a preview for the next chapter: **Piper starts to realize the effect her illness is having on her family members... most particularly, her son.**


	11. How She Hurt Her Son

A/N: I am SO sorry I didn't update sooner! I have finals all this week (then I'm free- yay!) and today I randomly decided to re-arranged everything in my room and throw out old stuff... Anyway, I don't like the title of this chapter very much, because I couldn't think of one and just made one up quickly. It's just a filler chapter, but the next one should be coming soon!

Lucy Knight: So you have things to study for, too... good luck with the SATs! Sorry I had to make you wait so long for an update!

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Piper gazed desperately up at the staircase. Why did she always have to be so defiant? If she hadn't spent this last week cleaning the house, against everyone's wishes, then she wouldn't feel the agonizing exhaustion that she did now. All she wanted to do was curl up in her bed and take a nap, to get her strength back. But that was the problem. She didn't have enough energy even to walk up the stairs. Standing there helplessly was one of the worst things Piper had felt in her entire life. Half of it was pain, and the other half was realization that she was "giving in" almost, as if listening to others instead of being stubborn was killing her more than her actual illness. It was just how she was. As she stood there and sighed helplessly, Chris walked in the front door with two of his friends.

"Remember Chris, we're getting that family portrait taken in about three hours," Piper said.

"I know," Chris answered. "We're just gonna film some stuff for our school project, it shouldn't take too long."

Chris had spent the last few weeks grumbling about this project. One of his teachers had made the class split into groups and make a "movie" about their topic. He'd also laid out strict, specific guidelines for them to follow. Chris felt it was pointless, and after all his ranting, Piper was starting to agree.

"Uh… mom… do you need something?" Chris asked. He knew the look on his mother's face all too well. It was that my-illness-is-making-itself-present-and-I-feel-helpless look.

"Um… well, it's just…" Piper kept telling herself to just say it. Just ask for his help. Finally she got the words out. "I'm really tired. I need— I need some help up the stairs."

"Oh. Okay," Chris said, understanding. He turned to his friends. "You guys can wait in the living room for me." They shuffled in.

"It's _Parlor Room_," Piper teased. She had given up on making him and Wyatt use the "proper" room names long ago. It just wasn't in the nature of the average teenage boy. Chris walked over to his mom and took her hand. He was about to orb her upstairs when they heard the voices from the other room.

"Can you believe that?" one said. "His mom can't even get up the stairs by herself." The voice laughed, and so did another.

"Totally, man. The lady's a cripple, put her somewhere and get on with your lives," the other voice said.

"Nah, Chris is too much of a mama's boy to do something like that," the first voice said.

"Why do we even hang out with such an emotionalwuss?" the second voice pondered.

Piper couldn't believe what she was hearing. She looked over at Chris and saw the look of hurt on his face. She instantly felt guilt wash over her. Her illness was embarrassing to Chris. Why hadn't she realized it before? No, instead she asks him for help right in front of two guys who probably weren't going to be his friends much longer. What would they say? Would they ridicule Chris? Would they spread it around school? Would _everyone_ single him out? Piper felt terrible as she realized that she could be permanently damaging his reputation.

Upon hearing the hurtful comments, Chris immediately orbed his mom into her room, so she couldn't hear any more. He knew it was jerks like that who would make her feel terrible about herself. People were now judging her on something she couldn't even control.

"Oh God, Chris, I am so sorry," Piper apologized sincerely to her son as she sat down on her bed.

"For what?" Chris asked.

"For that. They were talking about me, and it backfired on you. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault mom. Really, I'm not mad. Some guys are just assholes like that."

"Hey! Language!"

"Sorry."

"I should just instill a swear jar rule…" Piper mumbled as Chris sat down next to her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah… I'm not sad or anything if that's what you mean. I'm furious that they'd say something like that about you."

"Well, don't be. You worry too much, mom." Chris got up and left the room to head back downstairs. Sure, he seemed fine with what those boys had just said, but Piper knew he was just hiding his real feelings to make her stop putting herself down. He might've been able to act like nothing was wrong and forget about it, but Piper wasn't. If she was doing all this to Chris, then what affects did she have on the rest of the family. What if she was hurting everyone who knew her? Piper gazed over in the mirror at her pitiful image. No matter how many times everyone had said that she still looked the same, Piper saw herself as a completely different person. A pathetic, weak, and sickly person who caused her family members to endure ridicule. It was almost as if she could see her deadly illness right on her face.


	12. Picture Day

A/N: I am sooo sorry I haven't updated! For some reason it wouldn't let me upload, and for some reason I had to enable my email to be shown on my user page in order for things to work! (There's a handy hint for anyone else having this problem) Anyway, this chapter includes something I do a lot in "Pamela Halliwell: Wiccan Outcast," put a song/part of a song in the chapter. It's not supposed to be sung by anyone, I don't want Charmed to turn into a musical (shudders), it's just supposed to be like a soundtrack, playing in the background. Anyway, this chapter I'm using part of the song "Broken" by Seether and Amy Lee.

anonymous!: Incompetent... good word usage... sorry that was so random... lol. Anyway, hope you like this chapter as much as the last one:)

Mediatorsk: So sorry you had some problems going on... but I'm glad I could cheer you up. Sorry it took me so long to update, hopefully you haven't needed another cheer-me-up and were waiting on my update... oh, who am I kidding, I'm not that important (lol).

CHAPTER TWELVE

"How about this one?" Leo asked Piper. He was grabbing dress shirts out of her closet and showing them to her. She glanced down at the skirt she was wearing to make sure they matched.

"Okay. That one's fine," Piper answered. She took a deep breath in nervous anticipation. What was next would probably seem like a submissive, irrelevant event to anyone else, but she hated it. Because of the severe inability to move her arms, Leo had to dress her. It was the one event every day that gave her the mentality that she was unnaturally pathetic. As he buttoned up her shirt, tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Piper?" Leo asked. "What is it, honey?"

"Everything," she answered. "Today I discovered that I can't show my face in public without one of my boys being ridiculed for having a cripple mom."

"What?" Leo asked.

"It was this thing with Chris' friends… He told me he wasn't upset, but…"

"Do you want me to talk to him?"

"Yeah. That would be great. Anyway, it just seems like I'm hurting everyone's reputation. It's almost the same as if one of us were to have a mental illness or something. People look at all of us differently, they stare, laugh, and even the mention of our last name will probably turn people away."

"Don't think like that, Piper. How do you know that any of those things are going to happen? We'll be fine," Leo assured. "You have lots of friends that are way beyond that childish mentality. More importantly, you have family beyond it, too."

"I know," Piper sniffled. "Thanks, Leo." He kissed her gently. "I just need to cry for a minute, to get everything out of my system."

"Okay," Leo replied. "I guess I'll go talk to Chris." Piper nodded.

But as Leo left the bedroom, he didn't go down the hall to see his son. Instead, he let out a great sigh. Piper just wasn't her old self anymore. She was loosing her confidence and beginning to blame herself for things that hadn't even happened yet. Leo was trying his hardest to restore her to the way she was before, but he knew that no matter what happened and no matter how much better he managed to make her feel, she would never be quite the same. Leo looked over at an old picture of them that was hanging on the wall. He missed his wife.

_I wanted you to know_

_I love the way you laugh_

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away_

_I keep your photograph_

_And I know it serves me well_

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain_

'_Cause I'm broken_

_When I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right_

_When you're gone away_

_You're gone away_

_You don't feel me_

_Anymore…_

Leo shook his head to snap back into reality. He was about to turn down the hall towards his son's room when heard the front door open. Instinctively he headed downstairs to see who it was.

When Leo got into the foyer, Paige was standing there.

"Are you guys all ready to go?" she asked.

"Uh… almost," Leo replied. "Piper's just in an emotional mood right now."

"Oh," Paige replied. "Want me to see what I can do?"

"Sure."

Paige made her way upstairs and stood in her sister's bedroom doorway. Piper was sitting in front of her dresser, staring at herself in the mirror.

"Hey," Paige said. "Want me to do your hair for you?"

"Okay," Piper replied. "But it hasn't been combed in a while, there's probably millions of knots."

"Well, that's what sisters are for," Paige said as she picked up a hairbrush. "To pull each other's hair out."

Piper chuckled briefly at the dumb joke, but her glum expression soon returned. As Paige went to work on Piper's hair, she wanted her to be able to open up and get all of her feelings off of her chest, but she wasn't sure how to bring up the topic, or how willing Piper was to talk. Thankfully, Piper opened the door to conversation for her.

"I hate that wheelchair," she said.

"I know," Paige replied. "At least you only have to ride in it if you feel exhausted."

"That's the problem. I _do_ feel exhausted. Right now. Every day I know I should slow down, but there's too much stuff to do around here. Leo has charges to attend to, I can't make him do all the work around here. And how clean exactly do you think the house will be if two teenage boys are dusting?"

Paige smiled sympathetically. She wasn't sure how to reply right away, but Piper continued talking, so she didn't have to. "I've never sat still for anything, so I certainly can't do it now. My mind doesn't work that way. And then the wheelchair… I feel so tired today… I should probably take it to the photo shop and get out of it for the picture… but riding it outside… I know I'm gonna embarrass all of you."

"No, Piper, it'll be fine. Ride in the wheelchair if you need to. We're not gonna care what anyone says. Hey, just think of all you've been through. You survived your sister's death, of all things, and went on to kill her murderer and become the strongest-willed person I've ever known. Now, I know with all the circumstances, being in good spirits is really hard right now. But put it in comparison. If you can figure out how to get through the loss of one of your closest friends without breaking down every day, then riding in a wheelchair for a few minute's is like a piece of cake."

Piper smiled. Being a whitelighter had really made Paige good at advice-giving since she first started… how many years had it been? Piper was starting to feel old. Suddenly, they heard the front door open.

"Oh no, is everyone waiting for me?" Piper asked.

"No, no, you're fine," Paige replied. "Close your eyes." She sprayed some hairspray all over the play. "How's this?" she asked, taking a bobby pin out of her mouth and placing it delicately in Piper's hair.

"It's perfect," Piper smiled. "Thank you."

"C'mon, I'll orb you downstairs… and then we'll get that chair."

……………………………………………

Downstairs, Allie started crying.

"Oh, somebody's tired…" Phoebe began, taking her from Josh and placing her in the baby carrier she'd placed on the tiny table by the stairs. She rocked it back and fourth in an attempt to help the baby drift off to sleep. Surprisingly, it worked.

"Wow," Paige said as she and Piper orbed in, "Finally a baby in this family that actually sleeps. Lucky you."

"Tell me about it," Phoebe smiled, glancing over at Pam.

"What?" Pam asked.

"Okay, so are we ready?" Mark asked, changing the subject.

"Um… almost…" Paige started. She turned to Piper.

"I… I…" Piper took a deep breath. "I need the wheelchair."

There was an extremely awkward moment of silence throughout the Manor.

"Okay. I'll get it," Leo said finally as he turned to the closet.

"You okay, Piper?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah," Piper replied. "I'm just really tired, that's all. Once we get done with this picture, I'll probably sleep the whole way home."

Leo came forward with the wheelchair. To Piper, it was more like the electric chair. She gulped and sat down in it. Another awkward moment of silence reigned, until Piper pressed a button and moved forward a foot or so.

"Whoa! Sorry," she said, almost running Josh over. She finally got control over the movements and started to wheel herself to the front door.

"Piper…" Leo reminded. "It can't go down the steps."

"Right!" Piper realized, trying to laugh off her growing embarrassment. She turned it around and everyone headed to the back door. The world outside was extremely terrifying for all of them as soon as they realized that anyone could be watching, saying whatever they wanted about Piper Halliwell. There was no turning back now.

Piper moved the chair forward, and everyone followed suit. Her hopes were that the big jumble of Halliwells would conceal her in the middle, but since she was the oldest and always had been sort of the "leader," everyone just naturally branched off to the side and let her lead the seemingly endless trek to the sidewalk, where the cars were parked.

Piper breathed heavier and heavier every time she saw a car pass by, or if she looked at a nearby house and swore she saw someone peering out of the window. This was torture. It was a surreal reminder of her grade school days, where even if she couldn't _see _people staring at her, she could somehow _feel _it, and knew that they were all whispering, saying whatever they felt like about her. This couldn't be happening. She'd done so much to put that humiliation behind her, and now here it was again, back and fiercer than ever.

The rest of the family also felt the sense that Piper was being tortured, especially Phoebe, who focused on her sleepy daughter that she was carrying so not to loose it. It still amazed her what a strong person Piper was. She didn't deserve this cruel subjection. But as they marched to the cars, there was nothing they could do.

……………………………………

It took them about ten minutes to figure out Allie's carseat and find a place for Piper's wheelchair and get everyone situated in the two cars. But finally they made it to the studio for the portrait. A person who didn't know what was going on at that time in their lives and what was running through their brains that day would've thought it was just a picture of the average, American family. But for the Halliwells, it was a terrible reminder of the day attached to the picture. That was the day the word spread about Piper Halliwell and her "condition."


	13. Snooping Neighbors

A/N: Yes I know, quite a quick update this time, but I figured you guys deserve it for waiting so long between chapters 11 and 12. This is a filler chapter, but the next one really moves the story forward. So hang in there for chapter 14:)

Lucy Knight: I don't really classify it as poison... in fact, I'm not even really sure what it is, since I suck at learning anything medical. (That's why I will never dare to write a House fanfic!)

pudding: No, it was spelled correctly. Actually I spelled it wrong, but my spell check fixed it for me:) Anyway, thanks for telling me my story was "original." I like that. I usually just write down whatever comes into my mind, and I always hope no one else has the same story posted!

kendallpaigecharity: Hey, good to hear from you again! As you requested, I have "update(d) soon! PLz" lol.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Piper groaned as yet another knock on the front door was heard. She opened it with her wrists to find her neighbor Mrs. Peters standing on the porch with a giant smile plastered on her face. She looked at Piper and gasped melodramatically. Piper had to restrain herself from mouthing what she knew the woman would say next. People had been saying it all day.

"You're walking!" Mrs. Peters exclaimed.

"_Be polite…"_ Piper told herself. She smiled. "Yeah. You probably saw me the other day…"

"In a wheelchair, yes I did!" Mrs. Peters interrupted. "Is everything alright?"

"For now," Piper stated plainly. "It's kind of complicated."

"Oh… well, is there anything I can do?"

"I don't think so. But we'll call you if we need something."

"Okay then. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Piper said, hoping this woman would leave soon. "I've just been feeling a little tired lately. But thank you for asking. Goodbye now."

"Bye!" Mrs. Peters waved as she headed down the stairs. Piper shut the door. All day people had been coming over, all with the exact same lines as Mrs. Peters just had. Piper wondered if all the gossipy housewives in town all congregated at one place and rehearsed ways to get on their neighbors' nerves.

"No, I think those lines just come naturally to their type," Pam mumbled from the parlor room. She was reading through the Book of Shadows, making one last effort to see if they missed anything on a demonic virus.

"Please don't read my mind today, Pam…" Piper groaned, shuffling in. She walked over to the front window to see if her other across-the-street neighbor was strolling over yet. "Oh great, Mrs. Henderson has decided to peer down at us from her upstairs window instead of just coming over here herself." She closed the curtains. "Annoying busybodies…"

The phone rang. Piper expected it to be another person who she barely even knew that had somehow learned of her historic ride down the driveway. Instead, the Caller ID showed that it was Paige.

"Hey. Are you done at P3?" Piper asked.

"Yep. Inventory's all accounted for," Paige replied. Piper wished she had the energy to go down to the club and do it herself. She would do anything to get out of the Manor at this point.

"What took you so long? Did one of your charges need something?" Piper asked.

"Surprisingly no," Paige replied. "But apparently the entire city did."

"Oh no, don't tell me they called you too," Piper asked.

"You sure do know a lot of people…"

"I am so sorry, Paige," Piper said. She looked out the window once again and rolled her eyes. "This can't be happening," she mumbled.

"Well, the fuss should all die down in a day or two."

"Yeah, but we've still got to watch our backs from now on."

"What do you mean?"

"Well apparently, Mrs. Henderson prefers to be a peeping tom instead of asking what's going on."

"So… she's watching us?"

"Yep, from right out of her upstairs front window. We'd better buy some thicker curtains and pray for only lower-level demon attacks."

"Great…" Paige mumbled.

"Well, we could always pack up, move to another state, change all our phone numbers, and live under assumed identities if you'd rather," Piper joked sarcastically.

Paige sighed. "Did you always have this pessimistic sense of humor?"

"Yep. You're stuck with it, sister."

"I see. Do you want me to call Phoebe and tell her about the whole snooping-neighbor situation?"

"No, I'll do it. That way the phone'll be busy so no one else will call here."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

Piper sighed as she dialed Phoebe's number at The Bay Mirror. This was definitely becoming a mess. Why had she ever agreed to use that chair in the first place?


	14. Situation Critical

A/N: I must warn everyone, this is the first time I've ever made myself cry writing. Every Charmed fan should recognize the song I used in this chapter... "Calling All Angels" by Jane Siberry.

kendallpaigecharity: Yeah, I'm updatingquicker now because I've wrote like, six chapters ahead of this one.

Lucy Knight: You really, really want Pam to solve this thing, don't you?(This isn't supposed to sound agrivated or anything, just amused. When youtype things you can't really show emotion, hence that you might have misunderstood what I just wrote as an insult or angry comment!)

anonymous!: Well, here you go, next chapter right here:)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Piper turned the calendar a month forward so that it now said January. She walked over to the kitchen closet, managed to turn the doorknob with her wrists, and awkwardly took out the dustbuster.

"Piper, you better not be going to clean the house," Phoebe scolded from the table. "You have us to do that."

"I know, I know. I'm just going to clean up the curtain in the parlor a little bit. Ever since we got thicker ones, they seem to be dust magnets," Piper replied. She hated those curtains. To her, they were like hanging one of Leo's old army blankets in front of the window. They were thick and didn't let any light in. It gave the room quite a dreary appearance. But they really had no choice, what with Mrs. Henderson always looking in on them. They couldn't risk being exposed again. It had happened too many times before, with extremely grim consequences.

Piper walked down the hall slowly. She had to reserve her energy if she was to stay as active as possible. After the humiliation on the day of the family portrait, she refused to ever go near the wheelchair (which now rested in the closet under the stairs) again. She managed to grab onto the curtain successfully, so she kept a tight grip on it as she turned on the dustbuster. Unbeknownst to her as she began to dust it, a demon shimmered in behind her. As he crept nearer, however, he stepped on a squeaky floorboard. Piper dropped the dustbuster and whipped around. She instinctively held up her hands to freeze him, but had forgotten about her inability to do so. One hand maintained a firm grip on the curtain, and the other was held up in a fist shape. The demon smirked.

"Phoebe!" Piper shouted. Before she got another word out, the demon thrust an energy ball at her. She dove out of the way just in time, but hit her head and side on the piano in the process and brought the curtain crashing down with her. Phoebe entered the room at that moment and kicked the demon to the floor. He threw an energy ball up at her, and she used her Empath power to channel it straight back at him as he was getting to his feet. He burst into flames and disintegrated.

Across the street, Mrs. Henderson couldn't believe what she'd just seen.

"Oh God, Piper," Phoebe said, shaking her. She stirred, and Phoebe breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn't dead. "Are you okay?"

"N-No!" Piper said, twisting her face into an ugly grimace. "It's my side!" She clenched her teeth as she cried out in pain. "And my head!"

"What's causing it?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't know what's causing it!" Piper retorted.

"Okay, okay, just work through it," Phoebe stroked her hair gently. "Leo!"

Leo orbed in instantly. "What happened?" He asked as he bent down next to Piper.

"There was a demon attack," Phoebe replied. "I got him, I don't know if he got her."

"He didn't, I hit the piano!" Piper explained through the pain.

"I can't heal her, just as always," Leo exclaimed angrily. He'd give anything to save his wife from what she was going through.

Just then, Mrs. Henderson burst though the front door and into the parlor. "I saw it, I saw it all!" she exclaimed.

Phoebe looked up at the window, and then at the curtain on the floor. The phrase "uh-oh" instantly ran through her mind. "Mrs. Henderson," she said, otherwise speechless.

"There was another man here, and- oh my goodness," she gasped as she saw Piper. "What's wrong with her?"

By now, Leo was furious, both from not being able to heal Piper and towards this woman who had barged into his living room. "You just said you saw the whole thing, why don't you tell us?"

Phoebe's head spun as the fiasco that led up to Prue's death ran through her mind. She was getting overly-emotional, and that made it extremely difficult to control her Empath powers. She could feel the terrible pain Piper was in, the rage Leo felt, and the dazed and confused emotions of Mrs. Henderson. Phoebe knew that she had to do anything she could to keep this woman from telling about them.

"What are you?" Mrs. Henderson asked.

Phoebe sighed. "We're witches," she admitted.

"Have you always been them?" she asked with a shocked tone. "Since before I moved here?"

"Well let's see, that was right after the shape-shifting warlocks lived there, so yeah," Phoebe replied.

"The who?" Phoebe could now sense panic coming from the woman.

"Look, Mrs. Henderson, I know that on TV and stuff witches are evil, but trust me, we're not. That man who was here? He was a demon. I vanquished him. Piper tried, but he hurt her. Remember my sister Prue? Guess what killed her. This is the price we've paid over the years to protect innocent people, people like you. And if you go run and tell someone, we're not going to be able to keep protecting everyone. Look at her," Phoebe said, gesturing towards Piper. "Look at how much pain she's in. Just please, go back home and don't tell a soul. Let us try to save her."

Mrs. Henderson stared at the three of them, completely unsure of what to do.

"This is for the greater good here," Phoebe replied, an old but effective shtick.

"Okay," Mrs. Henderson nodded. "Okay." She left and hurried back across the street.

Everyone in the manor breathed a collective sigh of relief, and then Piper let out another cry of pain. "Dammit, why do we even have this stupid piano!" she yelled in frustration.

"I think she broke something. Orb her to the hospital," Phoebe instructed, using her Empath power to judge.

Leo obeyed immediately.

………………………………

By now, the family had been in the hospital waiting room so many times that it almost seemed like the walls were beginning to close in. Everyone just wanted to find out what kind of extra care Piper needed this time and leave as soon as possible. However, it wasn't as simple as that.

Dr. Reynolds approached them in the waiting room. Phoebe, Paige, and Leo instantly stood up.

"How is she?" Leo asked.

"She managed to break quite a few bones," Dr. Reynolds answered.

"All that from just falling on a piano?" Paige asked.

"Well, I tell you that her bones, organs, and tissue are deteriorating, didn't I?"

"Right. Sorry," Paige replied, a little ticked at the doctor's attitude.

"Well anyway, for someone in that condition, sustaining the damage she did is quite possible," Dr. Reynolds explained.

"How long is it going to take for her to heal?" Leo asked.

Dr. Reynolds sighed. Instantly, as if on command, Phoebe emotions did a complete flip-flop.

"I don't think she _is_ going to heal," Dr. Reynolds said.

"What?" Leo asked. "Are you saying she'll be like this for the rest of her life? In chronic pain?"

"We're giving her some strong painkillers so that she doesn't feel a thing. But yes, her injuries probably won't have time to heal."

"Won't have time?" Phoebe asked with a wary tone.

"The deterioration has progressed significantly," Dr. Reynolds began. Everyone was on edge now; they could tell by her voice that she had something big to say. "Piper's vital organs are starting to shut down. We've done all we can, but things don't look very good. She may only have a few days left to live." Everyone's faces fell simultaneously. "I'm sorry," Dr. Reynolds finished as she walked away.

Paige covered her mouth in shock and stared at the floor. Mark walked up behind her and soundlessly embraced his wife, who didn't even flinch. Leo looked like he'd just been hit by a truck. Phoebe's lip began to tremble.

"Oh, mom," Pam said as she walked up to her. Phoebe took a deep breath, one that was warble-y sounding. She was obviously on the brink of crying. "There's nothing we can do." She put her arm around her mom.

"No, no, there has to be something," Phoebe argued, pushing away. "There _has_ to be! Piper's the strongest of all of us. She can't die, she just can't!" By now, Josh had calmed Allie down enough to put her back in her carrier, and he was walking over to the rest of his family.

"Honey," he began, placing a hand on her cheek. Phoebe already knew what he was going to tell her. He didn't have to say a word. She burst out in uncontrollable tears and he pulled her into a hug.

Pam wiped some tears from her eyes and tried to keep herself together as she shuffled to a chair to watch over her sister.

Leo bit his lip as he sat down next to his boys. He took a deep breath as he prepared to explain the situation to them. He knew that whatever he said was immediately going to crush and change them both forever. And Chris was going to turn fourteen in a week. This was some hell of a birthday present.

_Old man is placed upon the steps and a baby cries_

_High above you can hear the church bells start to ring_

_And as the heaviness, oh the heaviness_

_The body settles in_

_Somewhere you can hear a mother sing_

_Then it's one foot, then the other_

_As you step out on the road_

_Step out on the road_

_How much weight?_

_How much?_

_Then it's how long and how far and how many times_

_Oh, before it's too late_

_Calling all angels_

_Calling all angels_

_Walk me through this one_

_Don't leave me alone_

_Calling all angels_

_Calling all angels_

_We're tryin', we're hopin'_

_But we're not sure how_

_Oh and every day you gaze upon the sunset with such love and intensity_

_Why, it's a, it's almost as if you could only crack the code then you'd finally understand_

_What this all means_

_Ah, but if you could do you think you would trade it all_

_All the pain_

_And suffering_

_Ah, but then you'd miss the beauty of the light upon this earth_

_And the, and the sweetness of the leaving_

_Calling all angels_

_Calling all angels_

_Walk me through this one_

_Don't leave me alone _

_Calling all angels_

_Calling all angels_

_We're tryin', we're hopin'_

_But we're not sure how_

_Calling all angels (calling all angels)_

_Calling all angels (calling all angels)_

_Walk me through this one (walk me through this one)_

_Don't leave me alone_

_Calling all angels_

_Calling all angels_

_We're tryin', we're hopin'_

_We're hurtin', we're lovin'_

_We're cryin', we're callin'_

_Cause we're not sure how_

_This goes_


	15. What Do You Say?

A/N: Just a short filler chapter here. The song I use in this one is the third verse and chorus of "What Do You Say?" by Reba McEntire. It was one of the first songs I thought of while thinking up this story, and when I discovered how it all fit in, it made me really sad for like an hour. Well, you'll see. Most of the going-ons in this chapter were derived from personal memories of when my grandma was deathly ill a few years ago.

anonymous!: Most of what you want to see is next chapter, but this one has some, too. So hang in there!

Lucy Knight: Wow, I'm glad it made such an effect! I wrote the whole chapter at around two o'clock in the morning (lol) and just tried to imagine how the characters would react. Of course it also helped that I had seen a sad movie that night, Pay It Forward. (and I cried my eyes out)

Mediatorsk: Ah, PMS, don't ya love it? lol. The worst part is, it was almost my initials, until my mom realized it and changed my name!

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Phoebe sat in the waiting room of the ICU, holding Allie. Pam sat next to her, and a few seats down were Wyatt and Chris. Chris had been in Piper's room several times, but Wyatt couldn'tforce himself to go in there. He said it was bad enough that he could see her through the window that separated the waiting room and the patients' rooms.

Phoebe sighed and shook her head, still in disbelief of what was going on around her. "This can't be happening. This cannot be happening," she mumbled. Pam held her hand. "Piper told me once that right before Prue died, she said she felt this chill. Piper felt a chill before we went after Edzin. Why didn't I recognize that? It's some Halliwell sense, I swear it is."

"Mom, you can't blame yourself for this," Pam comforted.

"And what about that superstition, have you ever heard the one that if you get a chill, you're standing on your grave?" Phoebe continued.

Pam knew she wasn't going to get through to her just then. "I'm going to go see her," she said.

"Okay," Phoebe replied softly as Pam got up. She walked in the room and was instantly met with the sounds of heart monitors and that sickeningly sanitary hospital smell. Paige looked up at her from her chair in the corner and slowly let her head fall once again. Poor thing. She was exhausted from sitting there at all hours of the day for the past week. Paige refused to leave… she wanted to be there when it happened. By now, the entire family was beginning to accept the fact that Piper really wasn't going to bounce back from this one. It seemed like a dark and gloomy cloud had just moved over them and wouldn't leave. Pam shuffled over to the nearest chair and sat down.

Leo was kneeling next to Piper at her bedside, holding her hand and stroking her hair. Usually the painkillers were so strong that she slept all the time, but for now she was awake. That of course didn't mean she was one hundred percent coherent, or that she wasn't going to fall back to sleep in a minute. But she was gazing up into Leo's eyes, so that was a good sign.

If there _were_ any good signs anymore.

_Her every breath is weaker than the last_

_And lately when she sleeps_

_She talks about the past_

_Her husband knows she's tired of holding on_

_She looks at him and says_

"_I wanna go home"_

_What do you say in a moment like this?_

_When you can't find the words_

_To tell it like it is_

_Just close your eyes and let your heart lead the way_

_Oh, what do you say?_

Piper was now fast asleep again, and a tear fell from Leo's eye.


	16. Emotions Run High

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! In case anyone was wondering, no this isn't another filler chapter. This one is pivotal. But it's not the last one. So don't worry!

Mediatorsk: Sorry I've made you blow your nose so much! Hopefully it's not gettting sore:)

Lucy Knight: I'm glad the chapter had such an effect. Usually when you write from what you know, things just come out better.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"I wanna go back to the hospital," Pam protested to Phoebe in their kitchen the next day.

"No, you can't," Phoebe instructed. "You've already missed too many days. You have to go back to school."

"But what if-" Phoebe, knowing what she was going to say, cut her off instantly.

"No buts. Wyatt and Chris are going to school today, and you are too." Pam sighed. "Get your backpack. We'll call you if… anything happens."

…………………………………………

Pam sat in her seat at college, but she wasn't listening to one bit of what her professor was saying. She fidgeted like crazy, desperately wanting the class to be over so she could race back to the hospital. What if her aunt were to die while she was there, just sitting in class? She knew her mother would need someone in a time like that, and Josh was at work. Suddenly, her cell phone rang, making her jump about 10 feet. She took it out and she as read the Caller ID, her stomach did a flip-flop. It was her mom.

"Miss Halliwell, you'll have to turn that off," Professor Taylor said, rolling his eyes.

"I have to take this, I'm sorry. It's really important," Pam answered. "Hello?" she said, answering it.

"She's gotten worse," Phoebe said with difficulty. "Dr. Reynolds thinks it might happen… before the next hour." She could be heard sniffling now. "Mark is getting Wyatt and Chris out of school, so they can s-say goodbye to their mom." This time she'd clearly lost complete control and was sobbing.

"I'll be there right away," Pam said, shoving her books in her satchel. "Just hold on, I'm coming. Bye." She walked briskly towards the door, but her professor blocked the exit.

"Just where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I really have to go, I'm sorry, it's a family emergency…"

"Miss Halliwell, you've already taken several sequential days off for a family emergency this week. If you miss any more, I'm afraid I'm going to have to fail you."

"No-"

"Well then sit down. You already have a detention for talking on your cell phone, and I suggest you do nothing that could make it worse than that."

"Look, my aunt is dying! If it was anything less serious, I'd stay. Please, you gotta give me this," Pam begged.

Professor Taylor remained unmoved by the story. "I'm sorry, but that's against the code."

At that moment, something in Pam snapped. "Well then, screw the code!" She shouted angrily. A few people began whispering. "Go ahead and fail me if you want to- no, you know what, I've got a better idea. I quit!" And with that she marched out the door and never looked back.

………………………………………

Pam raced to her car and jumped in.

"That damn professor," she muttered as she started it and pulled out of the parking lot. Her heart was racing. How long had he held her up? Had it already happened? No, she was going to make it. She _had_ to make it. Pam drove as fast as she could through the city.

She was about two blocks from the hospital when she heard the sirens. "Dammit!" she shouted, pulling over. An officer got out of his police car and walked up as she rolled down her window.

"Do you have _any_ idea how fast you were going?" he asked, a stern tone in his voice. He was probably one of the people who wanted to increase the age when people get their drivers' license to after the teen years.

"I know, I know, just listen, I _really _have to get to the hospital," Pam pleaded.

"Are you dying?" the officer asked.

"No, but-"

"Then I don't see the reason for the rush. You're not gonna die in five minutes if you don't get your HIV test taken."

The anger flared once again in Pam's eyes. That couldn't be any more stereotypical or condescending towards a 19 year-old woman. She knew that no matter what she said, all it could do was get more offenses against her. If only she had the power to freeze…

"Wait, my grandmother had the power to freeze…" she thought.

"I'll need to see your license," the officer said.

"Uh, sure…" Pam said as she turned to get it out of her bag. She was concocting her plan in her head. While turned away from the police man, she muttered under her breath, "Power of Patty Halliwell rise, course unseen across the skies, come to me who calls you near. Come to me and settle here." She grabbed her license. "I hope this works…" she thought as she turned around and waved her hand at the officer. He immediately stopped moving. He didn't even blink. "Oh, thank God," Pam said as she drove away. She knew she was probably going to pay for using personal gain later, but now her main concern was getting to her aunt.

…………………………………………

Pam raced in the hospital doors. The woman at the front desk had seen her so many times by now that she didn't even have to tell her what she was here for. It seemed like Pam had pushed the elevator button about fifty times before the doors actually opened. It couldn't have taken longer to get to ICU. Pam took a deep breath as the doors opened, and she stepped out and closed the door.

"Pam!" a tear-stained Phoebe gasped hysterically as she embraced her daughter. She didn't say anything further, instead she just sobbed into her shoulder. Pam gradually pulled away to get her the box of tissues. She looked at Paige, and her eyes seemed to say, "What's going on?"

Paige took a deep breath. Her facial expression had this odd grim look, like she was about to die. "It only happened about five minutes ago."

With those words, a lump formed in Pam's throat and she whipped around to look at the window that gave her a view of Piper's room. Leo was sitting in a chair by the bed, his hand over his eyes. He was obviously bawling. What happened next seemed to take place in slow motion.

A doctor walked up and draped the bed sheet over Piper's head.

"Oh my God," Pam choked out. "This can't be happening." The tears were already forming in her eyes as the elevator opened again. Everyone turned to see Mark, Wyatt, and Chris walk up to them. Neither Paige nor Phoebe could find the strength to tell them what had just happened.

"Mark," Paige whimpered, walking towards him. He opened his arms as she came nearer and embraced her. Phoebe turned away from her nephews, crying on Pam's shoulder once again.

"Pam, what's going on?" Chris asked warily. Pam instantly felt a sinking feeling in her heart as she realized that it was Chris' 14th birthday today. Just then, Leo shuffled slowly out of the room.

"Dad," Wyatt said as he and his brother walked up to him.

"Wyatt, Chris… you boys better sit down."

"C'mon, let's go over here," Paige advised. Everyone distanced themselves from the mourning family.

Pam shook her head. "I could've been here," she said in disbelief. "I could've been here! If it wasn't for that dumb-ass professor and ignorant cop!"

"What?" Phoebe asked.

Pam's anger was boiling over by now. "Goddammit, I could've been here!" she shouted, slamming her fist into a window. It immediately broke.

"Pam!" Phoebe said, wondering what in the world had gotten into her daughter.

Pam looked at her cut-up hand. "Oh, okay, that didn't feel so good…" her anger was starting to cool down and was quickly being replaced by a stinging pain.

Phoebe sighed disapprovingly. "Okay, well, I'll take you down to the emergency room. Anything to get me away from all these ICU emotions." She walked Pam to the elevator, and as she was about to press the button, Josh walked out with Allie in a stroller. It had taken him longer to get there because he'd had to pick up his daughter from daycare.

"Honey, what's-" he began, but Phoebe cut him off.

"Paige will fill you in. We have to go," she said abruptly. Obviously Phoebe was trying to avoid anything emotional. With that, she and Pam stepped into the elevator and closed the door.

A/N: The reason I decided to write this chapter now is because I'm going away for the weekend, so if anyone finds out where I live and tries to gun me down in a drive-by shooting, I won't be home! I know just about every one of my reviewers is mad at me right now, which is why I hesitated to write this, but I felt obligated. And everything has to happen this way for the sequel to work out the way it does. This isn't the end though, don't worry, there's tons more chapters left. And take comfort knowing that eventually everything will work out and WILL BE FIXED! You all have every right to be angry, but don't hate me for long, please! It's not like I hate Piper or anything, she's actually my favorite character. (Well, besides Pam, but you can't really compare another character to one you've created yourself.)


	17. The Grieving Process, Part 1

A/N: Once again, really sorry for what I did last chapter! At least no one's furious... yet. (gulps) The song used at the end of this chapter is "Let It Be" by The Beatles.

Lucy Knight: I figured there were two possible reactions to Chapter 16, either anger or shock (which you displayed in your review). I'm just glad you're not mad at me:)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Phoebe and Pam sat in one of the rooms in the hospital. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Pam stared down at the bandage she now had around her hand.

Phoebe looked up at the ceiling. "Maybe Piper was right. Maybe our only destiny is to die."

Pam knew she had to get her mom off of morbid subjects, and fast. Unfortunately her mind was blank of other topics. "Look, mom, I'm sorry about the window thing…"

"I just want to know why," Phoebe said. Pam recognized the scolding mother tone in her voice and knew that she was in for it.

"I was angry," Pam replied.

"Yeah, but when you're angry, you don't punch holes in walls."

"Different people have different ways of dealing with things."

"Well, I'd like to make sure you don't havea violent tenacity all of a sudden. Wouldn't want you turning evil on us."

"I'm fine," Pam snarled.

"What was it you were shouting about anyway? Professor Taylor?"

"He wouldn't let me leave the class."

"Really? Even after you told him your aunt-" Phoebe stopped suddenly, choking on her words."Told him about what was going on?"

"Yeah. He said he'd fail me if I missed any more days."

"So how'd you get out of there?"

Pam took a deep breath. _"Here it comes…"_ she thought. "I sort of… dropped out. I think."

"WHAT?" Phoebe asked in disbelief.

"Hey, you did it too," Pam reminded.

"Yeah, because I was young, pregnant, and too stupid to realize what a bad mistake I was making! You, however, have been told _numerous_ times about why you should stay in school," Phoebe scolded.

"I know, I know," Pam apologized. "I'm sorry."

"I'm afraid sorry isn't going to make up for this one."

……………………………………

It was three o'clock in the morning. Phoebe couldn't sleep. She didn't even know why she bothered to try. It was just the same as the week after Prue died. Nobody slept a wink. At least this time she wasn't burning the midnight oil trying to find a way to resurrect her sister. Phoebe knew very well that she was gone. The Power of Three had been broken. When Prue died, Piper had been the one that fell apart like this. Phoebe had been the strong one. This time, it was Paige that held herself together better. Phoebe guessed that the loss of the two strongest people she ever knew just made her break down. She rolled over on her side and gazed longingly at a picture of her and Piper.Then sheshook her head and sat up. If she lay there grieving desperately any longer, she would never survive this.

She wandered downstairs and through her house aimlessly. Eventually, she found herself wandering out the front door and down the porch steps. She looked over at the Manor and walked towards it, only half realizing what a stupid idea this was. Did she want to wake everyone up? As she approached the door, a figure standing on the porch became clearer and clearer. It was her sister.

"Paige?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Thinking," Paige answered. "You?"

"I'm not sure. I got out of bed and the next thing I knew, I was here."

"Oh. Did you want to… go inside?"

"Uh… I guess so."

"Okay," Paige said. She took out the hide-a-key and quietly opened the door.

As soon as they stepped in, the smell of Piper overcame them. It was quite powerful, to say the least. Looking in at the parlor room, they could see that Leo was fast asleep on the couch. The TV was on, but the volume was turned down very low. Because of the lack of light, it's dim, bluish glow danced on the walls.

"Poor guy," Paige said, turning off the TV. The house was instantly encased in darkness. She turned towards Leo.

"No, let him sleep," Phoebe said, shuffling forwardthrough the hallway. Paige followed. They stopped at the staircase and looked around. Paige began to tip-toe up the stairs. Although Phoebe was uneasy about venturing further, she followed.

"Skip the next stair, it creaks," she whispered.

"Exactly how many times have you snuck out?" Paige asked.

"More like snuck in. I climbed down a tree by my window to get out," Phoebe explained as they reached the upstairs hallway. They shuffled to the end and stopped at the doorway to Piper's room. Phoebe took a deep breath and opened it. Now it smelled like her even more.

Paige was the first to venture in. She walked forward and soundlessly lied down on the bed.

"What are you doing?"Phoebe asked, stepping forward.

"I dunno," Paige answered. "It reminds me of Piper somehow... if that even makes sense."

Phoebe lied down next to her. They remained there in silence for a moment.

"Do you realize that we're both in our pajamas, lying in a strange bed in a house next door to our own?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah. We're crazy," Paige said casually.They smiled only for a second. "I miss her."

"We all do," Phoebe said. "I finally understand why Piper didn't want to be a witch anymore after Prue died. This sucks."

"So I guess we're not the Charmed Ones anymore," Paige commented.

"Not unless you have some twin sister no one ever told us about." Paige laughed. "No, if mom did that to me again I think I would have to re-kill her," Phoebe said sarcastically. She was laughing now too.

"I'm thinking about buying that book, _On Death And Dying_," Paige said. "Find out about the five stages of grief and all."

"Why waste money?" Phoebe asked. "You know as well as I do, you cry yourself to sleep and reminisce non-stop for about a month, and then it gradually tapers away."

"I guess so," Paige said. "But I'm a research person. I want to know why I cry hysterically when I cry hysterically, and why I act almost normal when I act almost normal. Like now."

"It's just the calm before the storm," Phoebe interpreted. "Tomorrow there's gonna be funeral arrangements to make, and settlements to go over…" She sighed. "I just hope nobody runs away on us."

"What do you mean?"

"Pam quit school."

"What?"

"She got pissed at her teacher, and she quit school. When I quit school, I ran away. I don't want her to do that."

"She won't. Pam's got a pretty good head on her shoulders."

"Yeah, but I still feel like this is all my fault. She probably figured 'oh, mom did it and she was fine. So I can do it too.'"

"Don't blame yourself," Paige said. "Everything's gonna blow over in a few days. You can probably get her to go back, too."

"I guess so... What about you, are you going to take some time off from being a whitelighter?"

"If they'll let me. I don't even know if that's possible. I, um- Iwant to paint again."

"Really? You haven't painted in years," Phoebe remarked.

"I know. I used to love it, too. Somewhere along the way, I guess being a witch got in the way of one of my passions."

"Don't tell me you're gonna start eating lolly-pops again."

Paige chuckled. "No. What about you? Anything you'd like to rediscover about yourself?"

"I used to follow football." Paige gave her an incredulous look. "Yeah, I know, hard to believe."

"So what, you're going to watch football again?"

"Probably not, I just can't think of anything better. All I know is how weird it isthat there's no one left to boss me around any more. I'm the boss now."

"We're doomed," Paige joked.

There was another minute of silence as she looked at a copy of the recently-taken family portrait on the bedside table. At least they were able to get the whole family together for that. Piper was really smart to think of it.

"What's gonna happen to us?" Paige asked. Phoebe looked over at her. "All of us. What're we going to do?"

"I don't know," Phoebe answered. "We'll just have totake it one day at a time for now."

_And when the night is cloudy_

_There is still a light that shines on me_

_Shine until tommorow_

_Let it be..._


	18. The Grieving Process, Part 2

A/N: This is yet another chapter with something derived from personal memories. I'll explain more later.

Lucy Knight: The way Phoebe reacted to Pam dropping out is the way my mom would've reacted in a situation like that, so I guess I just momentarily turned Phoebe into my mom there! Sorry if it seemed out of character.

anonymous: Three sequential "really"s, wow... I love it when my stuff makes impacts like that... sorry for gloating here... I don't do it much, I swear I don't...

Mediatorsk: Ah yes, the angry review... I was waiting for one of these... as I mentioned before, I will "fix" everything, but not for a while. Heck, what kind of story would you have if Piper died one chapter and was brought back two chapters later?

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"Josh," Pam said, shaking him. "Josh!"

"What?" he asked, opening his eyes.

"Where's mom?" Pam asked.

Josh looked over at the spot next to him on the bed to discover that it was empty. "Honey?" he called. No answer.

"I went through the whole house, she's not here."

"Well, did she leave a note or anything?" Josh asked, sitting up.

"No, that's what scares me."

"Just calm down, I'm sure everything's fine."

"But what if it's not? Have you seen how she's been acting? She's like, dazed most of the time. She can't even focus on taking care of her daughter," Pam said. They both thought back to yesterday night when Phoebe was holding Allie, but not really holding her. The baby was starting to whimper, but she did nothing to comfort her. She just sat there and stared out the window. Finally Josh had to take Allie from her. "What if she ran away or something?"

"Phoebe wouldn't do that," Josh assured.

"How do we know?" Pam asked. "What happened yesterday really shook her. This is the second sister she's lost. She told me that if Piper died she didn't think she would survive." Josh looked over at a picture of her. He was starting to be a bit wary too. "I'm really worried about her. It was bad enough already, then I had to tell her I dropped out… I'm just really worried that something bad will happen, like she'll stop thinking rationally, or become an alcoholic, or act suicidal…"

"Okay, that's enough worrying. Why don't we go see if Leo or Paige know anything before we start to panic?"

"Alright."

"Come on. I'll get Allie."

……………………………….

"Hey guys," Pam said to Leo and Chris, who were watching TV in the kitchen.

"Hey," Chris replied unenthusiastically. He didn't even turn around; he just stared glumly at the cartoon sponge on the television.

"Have any of you seen Phoebe?" Josh asked.

"Yeah," Leo replied. "She and Paige are sleeping upstairs."

"Oh thank God. …Wait, what?" Pam asked.

"They've been there since before I woke up. I think they just wanted to be closer to their sister," Leo explained.

"Oh," Pam replied. "Then where did you sleep?"

"I fell asleep on the couch," Leo said. "Before they came in."

Just then, Phoebe emerged in her bathrobe and blue pajama bottoms. Behind her followed Paige in a pink set of pjs. Both of them looked rather tired, and their hair was disheveled. Phoebe mustered up a smile as she saw her family.

"Hi, baby," she said, taking Allie from Josh.

"Sorry we slept in your room," Paige apologized to Leo.

"That's okay. I don't even know if I can sleep there anymore."

"Where's Wyatt?" Phoebe asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Upstairs, looking through the Book of Shadows," Chris replied.

"Poor kid," Paige said. "He's gotta let it go. There's nothing anyone can do."

"Yeah, but he thinks with all his power heshould be able todo something," Chris explained.

"Have either of you talked to him?" Phoebe asked.

"Tried to, but he doesn't answer," Leo replied. "It's how he copes, I guess."

"Just like his mother," Phoebe recalled. "Always fighting."Saying that brought up a wave of sadness throughout the entire room.

"Oh good, you're here," Mark said, opening the back door.

"Mommy!" Stella said, running up and hugging Paige.

"Hey, sweetie," Paige replied. She looked over at Andy. "What, are big boys too grown up to hug their mommies?"

He smiled and came towards her. "No…"

"Come here, you," Paige said, hugging him.

"What are you doing over here?" Mark asked.

"Uh, I'll explain later," Paige replied.

"So, I guess we have some phone calls to make today," Phoebe realized.

"Yeah," Leo said, pulled out the address book by the phone.

"I'll call dad... um,my dad, that is," Phoebe said. She had to get used to the fact that she was the only one of Victor's daughters left.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Are you hungry?" Paige asked.

"Yeah," Phoebe replied. "Are you hungry?"

Everyone mumbled a collective "yeah."

"So then why are we all just standing here?" Pam asked.

"Because mom always used to cook breakfast," Chris said solemnly.

"Oh," Phoebe realized. "Maybe we should all go out somewhere to eat." Just then, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," she offered. About a minute later, she returned with a tray. "Well, I guess this solves the mystery of breakfast." She put it on the counter. "Apple dumplings, enough for all of us."

"From who?" Paige asked.

"Mrs. Fitzpatrick down the street. Apparently she found out somehow and wanted to-" the doorbell rang again. "-offer her condolences…" Phoebe finished. "Wonder who that is." She left the kitchen once again. Leo followed her.

"I'm gonna go make sure I straightened out the sheets on Piper's bed," Paige said.

"What? Why?" Mark asked, following her.

Stella and Andy stayed in the kitchen, enthralled by the cartoons on the TV.

"Okay, who wants dumplings?" Pam asked, taking one.

"How can you just sit there and eat those like nothing's changed?" Chris asked.

She stopped just as she was about to take a bite. "This is how I cope with things. My mind pushes itself into a state of denial for a few months, and I don't feel like anything's really happened." She took a bite. "At least that's how it was when my grandma died. Foster grandma, that is. Even seeing her at the funeral, it still didn't sink in. The only thing that gets to me this time is when my mom cries."

"Lucky you," Chris replied, turning back to the TV.

"Here, have a dumpling," Pam said, handing one to him. "It's comfort food."

"Oh please. 'Comfort Food?'" Chris said, taking it. "For someone who's primarily a tomboy, you can act quite girly sometimes."

Phoebe and Leo came back in the kitchen and placed a casserole on the counter next to the dumplings.

"Where'd this come from?" Pam asked.

"Mrs. Peters," Phoebe answered. "Word's spreading fast. I suggest we clear a space in the fridge."

…………………………………

Paige walked briskly into the kitchen with some salsa and tortilla chips.

"Would people _please_ stop bringing food!" She yelled in frustration, looking around for a place to put what she was holding. The counter was filled up, and there was no room in the fridge. People just didn't understand that they already _had_ food in the house. "Okay, this stuff is going on top of the TV." She turned around to face Phoebe, who was sitting at the table. "You know, if the circumstances weren't so glum, this would be pretty funny."

"Piper knew a lot of people." Phoebe wiped her eyes as she put down the phone. "I just got done talking to my dad. He's coming later today."

"Good. Then we can all- go over everything," Paige replied, taking a piece of celery from a plate of chips n' dip.

"He's really upset about it."

"I don't blame him. We all are," Paige said solemnly, biting into the celery stick.

"I was thinking. Maybe we should all… move back in here," Phoebe suggested. "Without the Charmed Ones, we're not as powerful. There's bound to be demons attacking. We'll be safer together."

"Are you kidding? There's no room," Paige reminded.

"We'll think of something." She removed the saran wrap from a tray of brownies that were in front of her on the table. "We are gonna get so fat..." she said with her mouth full.

A/N: The thing with the food was what happened when my grandma was terminally ill, we had people bringing whole meals and turkeys and all sorts of stuff when we already had a full fridge... it was mild chaos. But not as bad as the situation my English teacher told us about last year. She was over the house of a woman in our town who's son had been killed in an accident (it was really tradgic), and everyone in town seemed to be bringing food, and it was being piled wherever there was room, including on the TV. My teacher (shout-out to Mrs. McDermott if you're reading! ...yeah right) said that the woman was getting really mad at everyone bringing food, and she said that watching the whole situation "it would've been funny if it wasn't such a sad time." So that's where Paige's line came from. Yeah, whatever, you guys don't care, you just want to find out when Piper comes back lol.


	19. The Funeral

A/N: I'm getting a vibe off of this chapter that it's not as good as the previous ones, but every writer is their own toughest critic, so I'll let you guys be the judge.

Mediatorsk: Aw, thanks for the compliment! Good luck on writing your story, hope it all turns out like you want it to!

Lucy Knight: Actually the way Pam copes with stuff is the same way I cope with stuff, so that's primarily why I wrote that. Yeah, I used to write in notebooks before I got my own laptop, because I didn't want anyone else opening up my stories and reading them. (And by anyone, I mean my brother lol.) Now that I have my own computer, I find it hurts your hand a LOT less to type, plus I taught myself how to type faster than my mom! The only problem is that you're so used to typing that even writing a page of stuff by hand is like, agonizing lol.

anonymous: Yes, Piper really is gone. Sorry for the confusion, I hope things will become more clearer in this chapter.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

"Mom? You ready?" Pam asked from her bedroom door. Phoebe was wearing a black suit and staring at herself in the mirror.

"Yeah," she said with a deep breath. "I'm ready."

"Okay. Let's go." Pam walked over and put her arm around her mom's shoulder as they headed out the door and down the stairs.

…………………………………………

At the funeral, no one could stop crying. Pam had brought about ten packs of tissues just for the occasion. Seeing her mom all worked up like that never failed to bring a few tears to Pam's eyes. She tried to hide them though, and wiped them away as she stood next to Wyatt, the only other Halliwell to keep a straight face. Leo kept taking deep breaths to calm himself down, but it seemed that as soon as he did, someone else came up to talk to them about how they missed Piper, andhis sorrowful expression would return. The entire family wished there was some way to ease the pain, but they remembered past losses all too well. Everyone knew they were in for a lot of sorrow.

They saw so many people come to pay their respects that day. The coffin was practically cloaked in flowers and sympathy cards. Among the mourners was Mrs. Henderson, who came up, shook their hands, nodded understandingly, walked up to the casket with her head bowed, and left.

Hardly anyone said anything. For Pam, this was the first time she was meeting her grandfather Victor, and possibly the first time he had any knowledge whatsoever of her existence, she really didn't know. But she had had little opportunity to even talk to him. Of course it would be inappropriate to do so at a funeral, but he could've said _something_. Unless they had to, it seemed that nobody was even making comments like what they'd miss about Piper and such. It was eerily quiet, almost too eerie. Finally, Leo broke the silence.

"I still can't believe things were supposed to happen this way," Leo muttered. "I still don't know why they wouldn't let me heal her. Chris came back from the future to try to correct this. So why did she still die on his fourteenth birthday?"

"Some things you just can't change," Phoebe sniffled. "And it's not fair. It's really not fair. But sometimes a bad thing taking place will turn out to be better than it not taking place. …Does that make sense?"

"Everything happens for a reason," Paige clarified. Leo nodded, but by now he was sick and tired of that crap saying. He looked over at his sons.

"I just hope he's supposed to stop Wyatt from turning evil."

…………………………………

Things were even harder to stomach at the burial. The emotions felt by everyone as they watched the coffin get placed next to Prue's were too powerful for words. They would've done anything to get her back. In particular, Leo was feeling guilty about the entire thing. He had been able to heal so many people in the past, but he couldn't save his own wife. Phoebe too was feeling ashamed. If only she had listened to Piper when she felt that something bad was going to happen those many months ago. She many not have been the psychic in the family, but that didn't mean that she didn't have Wiccan intuition. And even though Victor had come to accept his daughters as the witches they were, he was once again starting to question whether or not they should think about getting rid of their powers. He pushed the idea out of his mind instantly. He didn't want to cause an argument, especially not today of all days. Victor knew they had a job to do, a very important one at that. A job that often comes with a deadly price.

_When I think back on these times_

_And the dreams we left behind_

_I'll be glad 'cause I was blessed to get to have you in my life_

_When I look back on these days_

_I'll look and see your face_

_You were right there for me_

_In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky_

_In my heart there'll always be a place for you, for all my life_

_I'll keep a part of you with me_

_And everywhere I am, there you'll be_

_And everywhere I am, there you'll be_

_Well you showed me how it feels_

_To feel the sky within my reach_

_And I always will remember all the strength you gave to me_

_Your love made me make it through_

_Oh, I own so much to you_

_You were right there for me_

_In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky_

_In my heart there'll always be a place for you, for all my life_

_I'll keep a part of you with me_

_And everywhere I am, there you'll be_

'_Cause I always saw in you my light, my strength_

_And I wanna thank you now for all the ways_

_You were right there for me_

_You were right there for me_

_You were right there for me_

_For always_

_In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky_

_In my heart there'll always be a place for you, for all my life_

_I'll keep a part of you with me_

_And everywhere I am, there you'll be_

_And everywhere I am, there you'll be_

_There you'll be_

A/N: The song I've used in this chapter is Faith Hill's "There You'll Be." A lot of people will probably remember it from the Pearl Harbor Soundtrack. Sorry if I'm boring you guys with these somewhat filler-type chapters. The next one is where the plot really picks up again! So stay tuned! ...lol, stay tuned to a computer screen.

I know this is going to be an idiotic-sounding and completely, 100 percent off-topic statement, but: Woo! LIVE 8 ON SATURDAY! Sorry, I'm just really exited about it! God I sound pathetic...


	20. Loosing Oneself To Gain Another

A/N: Sorry it took me longer than usual to update. I've been spending most of my time watching the Live 8 performances I missed on AOL.

Mediatorsk: I love Signs! It's a great movie! Unfortunately, I usually don't plan every element of a story before I write it. Most things I make up as I go along. (Except this one- I know most of what will happen in this one.)

anonymous!: Yeah, sad, I know. I love that song- I think it really helps to bring out emotion.

Lucy Knight: Yep, plot thickenings rule. Sorry for the wait for this one:)

CHAPTER TWENTY

A demon and a darklighter sat in a room in the underworld, watching the scene projected from the enchanted crystal the demon held in her hand.

"Yeah, but he thinks with all his power he should be able to do something," they watched Chris Halliwell say.

"So," the demon began cunningly, shutting off the crystal. "The twice-blessed child misses his mommy. And he'll do anything to bring her back. You know what that means."

"It's fullproof," the darklighter smirked. "Another darklighter did something similar to one of the Charmed Ones, Prue, years ago. If it wasn't for her sisters, she would've killed herself. Wyatt, however, is a teenage boy. It's quite natural for him to distance himself from his family, and we have evidence of that from what we just saw. They'll never suspect anything."

The demon smiled, completely confident that their plan would succeed. "All you have to do is act as his conscience. He'll never know what hit him. Now go, right away."

The darklighter orbed out.

…………………………………………

Wyatt was sitting in the attic, aimlessly flipping through the Book of Shadows. There was absolutely nothing there that could resurrect his mother. Hisaunts wereright.

"I should just give up," Wyatt muttered. The darklighter then orbed in undetected behind him.

"No I can't," he whispered. "Unless I don't care about mom."

"I care about her!" Wyatt repeated.

"Then I have to keep looking. There has to be something."

"There has to be something." Wyatt was practically in a trance by now. He continued to flip the pages and the darklighter used his powers to make them turn on their own. They stopped on the Girene page. "Girenes?" Wyatt pondered. "What can demons do to help me?"

"Well read, stupid," the darklighter commanded.

"_These demons have not been encountered by anyone since the 1520s. They are believed to be extinct, and probably caused their own demise. Their power was great and their abilities were unknown. The Gireneswere notoriousfor manipulating and swaying witches to join their side. There were documented cases of a Girene becoming consumed of their power and accidentally killing themselves because of it, not unlike the Titans. So it is extremely possible that they were all finished this way. The side of good is very lucky that this had happened, because with all of their power, the Girenes would have probably taken over the world indefinitely. There was no known way to vanquish them."_

Wyatt put the Book down. "So how is that supposed to help me? They're dead."

"Are they? No one really knows," the darklighter coaxed.

"So?" Wyatt thought.

"They do have great and unknown power. Maybe they could bring mom back to life."

Wyatt's eyes widened. He read over the entry again. "But how am I going to find them?" He pondered aloud.

"A spell, of course. It should be easy enough to summon them with all the power I have."

Wyatt nodded to himself and got out a piece of paper. The darklighter smiled and orbed out.

……………………………………

"Well?" the demon asked as the darklighter appeared in front of her.

"Everything is going according to plan," the darklighter smirked.

"Good," the demon replied.

"I still can't believe you guys were the most powerful creatures that ever lived in the 16th Century. What happened?"

The demon pulled out an athimae and held in threateningly up to the darklighter's neck. "For your information, we were weakened severely, almost finished. However, I still have _more_ than enough power to kill you," she said angrily.

"Fine, sorry. I won't ask any more questions."

The demon put her athimae away. "Now all we have to do is wait for the young Halliwell to cast his spell, and the Girenes will finally return to power!"

"And me?" the darklighter asked.

"We've been over this, you idiot. In exchange for helping us out, you'll share the same authority we will have," the demon said. She sounded annoyed. "What is taking him so long? It's just a stupid summoning spell! Cast it already!"

Her wish came soon enough. About a minute later, she disappeared. The darklighter followed.

……………………………………

"Can your power restore life?" Wyatt asked immediately after one of the Girenes appeared inside his crystal cage.

"Let me out of your trap and I'll tell you," she coaxed.

"No way. I've read about you Girenes. You manipulate good people to join your side."

"Clever witch you are… too bad it'll cost you your answer."

The darklighter pried into Wyatt's conscience once again. "Just let her out, what harm can she do? I'm the twice-blessed child, I can defeat her."

"Fine, I'll let you out," Wyatt said. He orbed one of crystals aside.

"You can orb… which means you must be one of the sons of Piper Halliwell," the Girene said in mock surprise.

"So?" Wyatt asked.

"I understand now why you want to know if our power can restore life. Youwant your mommy," she mocked.

"I could kill you at any time," Wyatt reminded angrily. The Girene held up her hands, as if to say, 'I surrender.' "Well, are you going to answer me? Or do I have to torture it out of you?"

"Yes, we are perfectly capable of bringing the dead back to life," the Girene lied. "But we would never do anything to help _your _side."

"Are you sure about that?" Wyatt asked, holding up an athimae.

"It won't matter if you kill me. The other Girenes will just resurrect me later," she taunted.

Wyatt glared at her and slowly lowered the athimae.

"There _is_ one thing you could do for us, in exchange for your mother's life."

"What do you want?" Wyatt asked.

"Come to our side. Work with us. Think about it, wouldn't be great for someone of your power to not have to worry about personal gain?" she persuaded.

"Do you really think _that's_ going to sway me?" Wyatt asked. The darklighter stepped in once again to think for him.

"What a pathetic argument," he said. "As if I would ever willingly join evil. Even if I did go to their side, they could never convert me. I'd just be working for good from the inside."

Wyatt raised his eyebrow at the thought. Could he really do that? Perhaps he should agree to join them, just until they revived his mother. Then he would vanquish them all. But deep down he knew it was a bad idea.

"Well, it should sway you, if you ever want to see your precious mommy again," the Girene taunted.

"I have to do this," the darklighter said. "What am I, afraid? If I can't do this, how will I be able to do anything as a witch? I would be better off without my powers…"

Wyatt took a deep breath. "Fine. Fine, I'll join you."

"I knew you'd come around," the Girene smirked. She touched Wyatt's shoulder. "Come with me." The two shimmered out of the attic.

"Wyatt?" Phoebe called. "I need the Book of Shadows for a second. Your Aunt Paige and I are gonna see if we can go…" At the point, she had walked through the attic door. "…after the Nosti Clan to try to destroy the-" she stopped mid-sentence, looking around for Wyatt. "infected… energy… ball… thingies," She finished choppily as she looked around. He obviously had left the room. Phoebe walked over to the open Book. "Bunyips? Why was he reading about Bunyips?" she pondered. Quickly she shrugged off the thought and closed the Book, completely not realizing that it was the old, pictureless write-up on Girenes that was on the page _next _to the Bunyip that she should be worried about.


	21. Wyatt's Rhapsody, Part 1

A/N:9 Dec 2005- I've revised this chapter and the next few, simply because I realized today that they could go with Bohemian Rhapsody lol. I'm so partial to my favorite song... Anyway, there's my disclaimer. Not my song, Queen's (greatest band ever!) song.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Wyatt stood in the lair of the Girenes. There were two others who had shimmered in after he arrived. They must've been the heads of the clan or something.

"We are forever greatful for your decision to join our side," one of them said.

"Just revive my mom," Wyatt said forcefully. He was growing quite impatient.

"Alright, well-" another one began, but he trailed off as someone appeared in the cave, carrying an athimae.

"Do something!" the female Girene ordered.

Wyatt had to think fast. He used his power to throw him back against the wall, and then, using only his mind, the person burst into flames. The Girenes watched wide-eyed, totally awestruck by his immense power. They had really scored big by getting him to work for them.

"Why is he not disintegrating?" Wyatt asked warily.

"Because he's a witch, not a demon," one of the Girenes said, as if he was pointing out an obvious fact.

"What?" Wyatt asked, shocked at what he had just done.

"It may be hard for you to adjust to being evil at first," the female Girene began, approaching him, "but you must admit, it did feel good, didn't it? What's the word… 'right,' somehow?"

"No," Wyatt muttered, staring at his hand in disbelief. "No!" He orbed out.

"Great. I thought you said he was on our side!" one of the Girenes shouted angrily at the female one.

"Relax, we're not giving up yet. We still have a darklighter friend who might be able to… talk him into something."

…………………………………

Wyatt lied down on his bed, trying to somehow vindicate what he'd just done. He'd killed a witch. One of his own kind, dead at his hand. How could he ever have been cocky enough to think that he could get away from those demons unscathed. His overly confident nature had just come with a big price.

_Is this the real life?_

_Is this just fantasy?_

_Caught in a landslide_

_No escape from reality_

_Open your eyes_

_Look up to the skies and see_

_I'm just a poor boy_

_I need no sympathy_

_Because I'm easy come, easy go_

_Little high, little low_

_Anyway the wind blows_

_Doesn't really matter to me_

_To me…_

Wyatt looked over at a picture of Piper on his wall. What would _she_ say about all of this? His heart sank as he realized that he had completely let his mother down.

_Mama_

_Just killed a man_

_Put a gun against his head_

_Pulled my trigger, now he's dead_

_Mama_

_Life had just begun_

_But now I've gone and thrown it all away_

_Mama, oooo_

_Didn't mean to make you cry_

_If I'm not back again this time tomorrow_

_Carry on, carry on_

_As if nothing really matters_

"I am not telling anyone about this," Wyatt promised himself. Little did he know, the darklighter was now right next to him.

"She _was _telling the truth. It did feel right."

Wyatt tried to shake the thoughts he thought were his own out of his head.

"People have been trying to turn me my whole life. Maybe I'm just meant to be evil."

"No," Wyatt thought. "Everything Mom did, she did to protect me from that side. I won't let her die in vain."

"Although, she's dead now. That means I have no ties to this side anymore."

"Oh, yeah? Then what do you call dad and Chris?" Wyatt muttered to himself as he stormed out of his room.

…………………………………

Pam sat at the kitchen table with a frustrated look on her face. Wyatt walked in.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"Aunt Paige and my mom went to go destroy that potion," Pam explained.

"Well, good," Wyatt replied. "That means no one else can get infected by it."

"That's not the point. They wouldn't let me go with them. It's probably my punishment for dropping out," Pam said. "Just because I'm younger doesn't mean I'm not as good of a witch. I can look after myself. I'm responsible."

"Oh, by the way, this came in the mail today for you," Wyatt said, handing her a letter. "Apparently you have to pay a large fine for speeding _and_ fleeing the scene."

"Crap, there must've been a camera there that got my license plate number," Pam said.

"So, back to the conversation, what was this about being responsible?"

"Ha-ha, very funny. For your information, I was only speeding and fleeing because I was trying to get to the hospital to see your mom before she-" Pam stopped abruptly, remembering that Wyatt didn't like the word "die" or any word related to it.

There was an awkward silence in the kitchen. Luckily, it was broken by Phoebe and Paige orbing in. Their clothes were torn and their general appearance was sort of… charred, for lack of a better word.

"What happened?" Pam asked instantly. "Did you get it?"

Phoebe sat down, exhausted, while Paige got herself a much-needed drink. "There were a _lot _of Nostis to fight. And we didn't think we could to it without the Power of Three. But, we used the spell to call our ancestors, variated a bit of course, and… we did it."

"Oh thank God," Pam said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Now no one else will have to… will be hurt," she changed.

"I only wished we'd learned where it was sooner," Paige said glumly, looking at Piper's picture on the wall. Thus the millionth awkward moment of silence since her passing was born.

A demon shimmered in the kitchen. Without even flinching, Phoebe threw a potion at him and he disintegrated. Paige gave her an odd look.

"Well, without Piper's powers helping us, we'll need protection. So I've started to carry a few potions around in my purse. Just because we've destroyed that potion doesn't mean no body's gonna come after us," Phoebe explained. "In fact, it probably means the opposite."

"So let me get this straight, you were mixing extra potions to protect yourself from evil, but you didn't say a thing about it to your sister?" Paige asked, the arrogance more than obvious in her voice. "What, do you _want_ me to be killed?"

"Paige…" Phoebe started, getting up from the table as she heard Allie crying in the other room.

"Lemme guess, 'it's not like that,' right?" she mocked. Phoebe walked through the doorway to the dining room, hoping Paige would just drop it. Instead, she followed. "Because I've heard that speech a thousand times before, and I know what you really mean by it…"

Chris passed them on his way into the kitchen. "What's going on with them?" he asked.

"It's just… how things are right now. Everyone's nerves are on edge," Pam reassured. "They're constantly worried for their lives because of all the demon attacks around here. Sometimes things just boil over."

Chris didn't look too reassured as he took a muffin from the counter.

"They'll talk it out and everything will go back to normal, you'll see."

"Define normal," Chris said through a mouth full of blueberry muffin.

The darklighter planted another thought in Wyatt's head. "If I join evil, I can make sure no one attacks my family." Wyatt closed his eyes as the thought appeared, trying to forget it had been there in the first place.

"You okay?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," Wyatt replied. He left the kitchen to lie down on the couch.


	22. Wyatt's Rhapsody, Part 2

A/N: 9 Dec 2005: Yep, I edited this one, too. Crazy, ain't I? I think so. Anyway, once again, the song isn't mine, but more verses of Queen's _Bohemian Rhapsody_. (In fact, this little scene below could've gone with the "Scaramouche" part, but that would take a lot of explaining... and I don't feel like typing out "let me go!" a thousand times lol)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Wyatt rubbed his temple. What was going on with him? It was bad enough that he had killed a witch, he would never forgive himself for that, but thinking of turning evil? His bad side must've just decided to make itself known that day or something…

"Think about it, with my power I could overthrow everyone. That would be so awesome, the whole world bowing down to me. How great would that feel?"

"No!" Wyatt muttered aloud. "Get out of my head, whatever you are!" But to him, it seemed pointless to shout like that. As far as he knew, he was just yelling at himself.

"Why am I on this side anyway?" the darklighter said. "Do I feel that it's right, or is it just what I've been taught is right? Maybe good people have been brainwashing me. With all these deaths, it seems like evil's got the upper hand."

Wyatt's gaze shot over to the various pictures on the wall. Almost every one of them contained a dead person, whether it was his grandmother, Aunt Prue, mother…

"What in the world ever happened to that good Karma we're supposed to have?" the darklighter said. "Maybe that's just a story. It almost looks like those on the side of good are paying with their lives."

"What?" Wyatt said aloud.

"Did you say something, Wyatt?" Leo asked from across the room.

"Uh, no," Wyatt answered. Why was he thinking these things? Apparently to his brain, dying on the side of good was like God striking down a sinner or something. But… was it really?

The darklighter grinned as he heard the insecure thought in Wyatt's head. His influence was finally having an impact. The twice-blessed child was starting to question his loyalties.

"Everyone who's good dies," Wyatt thought irrationally. "Perhaps… what if good itself is killing them?"

"Of course!" the darklighter jumped in. "It all makes sense now!"

Although Wyatt had just thought that, physically he wasn't ready to just change sides. Could he really leave all he had known for over fifteen years? Perhaps if he ruled, he could change evil... what if witches and demons could work together?

Now the darklighter's attitude had changed completely. He had spent all this time trying to convert this kid, and what did he want to do? Make evil good. Well, as long as he was alive, that wasn't going to happen.

"What if I could help the mortal world to embrace magic?" Wyatt thought. He remembered the stories of his Aunt Prue's death. His mother had almost been killed that way, too. "I could stop anyone from ever dying like that again. There would be no need for the Cleaners." Wyatt had never gotten along with those Cleaners. He'd known for quite some time that they'd tried to erase him from the world when he was a baby. So in his adolescent years, he used to cause magical things to happen, just to annoy them. Wyatt was very much like Bart Simpson in that way.

Wyatt took a deep breath. "I'll do it," he thought. "And save everyone."

The darklighter laughed to himself. "Kid's got a Messiah complex. Well, I'll teach him." He knew Wyatt was about to orb back to the Girenes, so he took off before he had the chance to.

_Too late_

_My time has come_

_Sends shivers down my spine_

_Body's aching all the time_

_Goodbye, everybody_

_I've got to go_

_Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth…_

…………………………………

"Well, what's going on?" the female Girene asked.

"He's decided to join us…" the darklighter began.

"Excellent!" one of the male Girenes interrupted.

"_But_, the only reason he's doing it is so that he can overpower everyone and turn us all good."

"What? I thought you said you were going to convert him!" the other male Girene shouted angrily.

"I tried, but the kid's a piece of work. Two things he seems to be set on here is power and peace on earth. Hey, if you guys are supposed to be so good at swaying witches to join you, then what do you need me for?" the darklighter asked.

"Good point," the female Girene said. She threw a fireball at him, which caused him to instantly scream and disappear. "Useless, smart-mouthed idiot!"

Just then, Wyatt orbed in. Everyone scrambled to regain their composure.

"Ah, young Halliwell. I see you've decided to return," the female Girene stated.

"Yes. I have," Wyatt said uncertainly.

"Good. Very good. I knew you couldn't resist the call of your rightful side."

"_That's what you think…"_ Wyatt thought.

"However, judging from your background, we can't really be sure that you've truly converted. For all we know, you're gonna just send your family members crashing in here to kill us all," one of the male Girenes asked. Wyatt could've hit himself. That would've been a great plan. "All of the family members that are still living, that is," the Girene chuckled.

That comment made Wyatt furious. He stared straight at the demon, who was incinerated on the spot. Both remaining Girenes stared at him and didn't move a muscle.

"He annoyed me," Wyatt explained.

"Really?" the female Girene asked. "Is that what you credit it to? Because that looked to me like you care too much about your family to truly join us. The comment shows that you are sensitive. We can't risk having a sensitive demon fighting with us."

"No, that's not why I-"

"Prove it then," the male Girene commanded. "Kill one of them."

"What?" Wyatt asked, incredulous.

"You heard him. Kill a Halliwell."

"Well, I-I… what if I could convince them to join us…"

"I knew it, he's still as good as he was before you brought him here," the male Girene scolded.

"Well then, in that case…" The female Girene waved her hand, and a cage appeared around Wyatt. He knew there was no point in trying to escape, it had to be magic-proof. "We'll just have to kill him." She formed a particularly hot-looking fireball in her hand, and the male Girene did the same. "Any last words?"

"I'll do it!" Wyatt shouted out. "I'll do it." If they had as much power as the Book said, then those fireballs would've definitely killed him.

"Good," the female Girene smiled. She and the other demon extinguished their fireballs.

"If you'll let me out of this cage, I'll go-"

"Do you think we're that stupid?" the male Girene asked. "We're going with you, to make sure you get the job done.

"Oh, and I think you'll need these," the female Girene said.

She whipped out an athimae, and a bright light flew from the tip straight into Wyatt. He instantly felt uneasy. There was no doubt about it, he had just been given demonic powers. God, what had he done? One stupid choice and here he was struggling to survive. He knew the humble thing to do would be to flat out refuse to kill his relatives, but he was too afraid of death to be that brave.

_Mama, oooo_

_(Any way the wind blows)_

_I don't wanna die_

_I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all…_

…………………………………

The three shimmered into the attic, where Phoebe and Paige were going through some stuff. At the sight, they each exchanged a wary glance and rose to their feet.

"Now!" the female Girene instructed.

Wyatt rose his hand and instantly threw an energy ball, but he threw it towards a space far above their heads. That was the weirdest thing he'd ever felt. The powers in him had formed the energy ball without thinking twice. But the good in him had shifted his hand just in time.

"Wyatt! What are you doing?" Phoebe asked. She couldn't believe was she had just seen.

"What's wrong with you, kill them!" the male Girene instructed. The good in Wyatt was doing all it could to fight against the evil impulses. He didn't know what to do.

Paige grabbed a potion vial and hurled it at one of the demons. The three shimmered out before it could hit.

"What was that?" Paige asked.

"Either we're dreaming… or Wyatt's working for evil," Phoebe said grimly.

…………………………………

"I hope you're just a poor shot, and that miss of yours wasn't done out of compassion!" the female Girene shouted at Wyatt as they re-entered the cave. He fell to his knees.

"It's these powers…" he struggled to say. Wyatt knew he had been born as one of the most powerful beings of all time. The demonic powers, which had started very simple, were now seeming to "feed" off of all the immense power Wyatt had. He felt like an oven heating up as he struggled to fend the evil away from the parts of his soul that were still good. Some things were already different, and he could feel it. No matter what, Wyatt knew he would never be the same again.

"For God's sakes, don't fight it!" the male Girene said. "Unless you wanna kill yourself from exhaustion or something."

"We're going to give you the benefit of the doubt this time," the female Girene said. "Hopefully we're right, and it's simply the power change in you that caused that humiliating failure today. You will have another shot at this, so we will prepare you for the next attack. In the meantime…" she waved her hand as the magic-proof cage reappeared around Wyatt.


	23. Family Feud, Part 1

A/N: 9 Dec 2005: This chapter is the last of the Bohemian Edits, as I have come to call them. Do I really need a disclaimer this time? Well, I do for the other song used at the end of the chapter... _Superman (It's Not Easy)_ by Five For Fighting.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

"Get up!" the male Girene ordered Wyatt. He rose. It had only looked like he was sleeping- really, he had spent most of the night hunched over in pain as good and evil fought within him. Finally, it was over.

"We're giving you another shot at your family," the female Girene explained. She magically removed the cage from around Wyatt.

He smirked. "When can we start?"

They shimmered out.

_Nothing really matters_

_Anyone can see_

_Nothing really matters_

_Nothing really matters to me…_

………………………………………

"No…" Leo said as he sat at the kitchen table. He looked like he'd just been shot. "No! That can't be happening!"

"We're just telling you what we saw," Phoebe said.

"I refuse to believe that. I have put all of my efforts over the past fifteen years into protecting Wyatt. So did Piper! It can't all be for nothing, it just can't!" Leo fumed angrily.

"Maybe he was under some kind of mind control," Paige suggested. "Or maybe it was a shapeshifter." She tried to bring hope back into her brother-in-law's eyes. But in reality, she could recognize the expressions on his face. It had indeed been the real Wyatt.

"I could somewhat sense his emotions," Phoebe stated, "and he seemed to be… struggling. Perhaps it was his Aura I was sensing. From what I could feel, he's still good deep down, but there's evil there too that's putting up quite a fight. It almost felt like it did when I was pregnant with the Source's heir."

At least those comments managed to put a tiny hint of hope back in Leo's expression.

Pam and Chris listened to the conversation from the dining room table. Pam couldn't believe that all of this was going. When she first became a witch, she was well aware of the risks, but never had they been so up-close and personal. Everything seemed to be falling apart around her. She wondered fearfully what was next. Chris sat with his head down. He was obviously depressed.

"Do you wanna talk?" Pam offered. "About… anything?"

"No," Chris answered irritably. "I'm not a girl. I don't 'talk.'"

Pam knew she should've just left it alone, but there was enough sadness in the house already. She wanted to find out how she could help to raise her cousin's spirits. So, she read his mind.

The thoughts were extremely powerful. They made Pam feel like she _was _Chris for a minute. Above all, the one thing she could sense from him was failure. He had been told so many times growing up about how he came back from the future to stop Wyatt from turning evil, to stop the Titans, and to save the lives of Piper and Paige. He was like Superman; fearless, heroic, and brave. In the end he had even given his own life to protect good. He was Chris the Great, even if he wasn't going to have to go back this time around. Now he was Chris the failure. It seemed he had only succeeded in one thing, extending Paige's lifespan. And for all anyone knew, that was just a cover story to get the past Charmed Ones to trust him. He had sacrificed his life for nothing. None of it mattered. He hadn't changed a single thing. Even though he, only being fourteen years old, hadn't personally experienced the time-traveling, he felt like he had. Chris was like the kid everyone picked last on a sports team; useless, forgotten, and mostly invisible in the presence of a superior being.

Pam was about to blurt out something comforting, to make Chris feel better about himself, but she knew that he would never forgive her for prying like that. It was the ultimate invasion of privacy. Pam didn't want to fight with him for the rest of her life. So naturally, she acted as though she knew nothing.

Suddenly, Wyatt and two demons orbed into the dining room area. They looked sinisterly at Chris and Pam, who froze on the spot and felt like bait. Wyatt stared straight at Pam, who stared back. With that understanding exchange, she read his last good thought.

"I'm sorry," it said in a struggling and almost painful voice. "I tried to control-"

"What are you waiting for? I thought we went over this!" the male Girene commanded. The thought cut off, but just before Pam lost contact with Wyatt's conscience, she felt a chilling presence, like something inside it was changing… or taking over. Wyatt hurled an energy ball directly at Chris, this time not missing. Pam screamed and Chris orbed out of the way. Pam dashed as fast as she could into the kitchen.

"Wyatt's here! He just tried to kill Chris!" she announced.

"What?" Leo asked warily. Chris orbed in by the fridge, to show everyone that he was safe.

Phoebe, Paige, and Leo ran through the kitchen doorway to face Wyatt and his… "entourage." Phoebe and Paige held potions being their backs. They wanted more than anything to not have to use them. As for Leo, he couldn't be killed unless there was a darklighter present. (Which there wasn't.)

"Hello, dad," Wyatt sneered. "Aunt Paige, Aunt Phoebe."

"Wyatt, please don't do this," Leo begged.

"Sorry, but the evil inside me has already won. You can't change me back now. This is who I've always been meant to be," Wyatt said.

"That's not true, Wyatt, and you know it!" Paige yelled.

"What is this, another scold?" Wyatt chuckled. "Then I'll say it again… 'You're not my mother.'" Knowing that the comment would sadden everyone, Wyatt immediately hurled an energy ball at them after finishing his sentence. Everyone dove to the ground, and began to chuck potions over the table like grenades.

"Let's go," the female Girene ordered as potions exploded all around them, coming dangerously close to the three. They shimmered out.

Phoebe, Paige, and Leo peered over the table through the smoke.

"Did… did we get them?" Paige asked. She didn't want to let evil escape, but she wasn't so keen on killing her nephew, either.

"Well, Wyatt's still alive at least. I can sense him," Leo informed.

"So all we managed to destroy was the grandfather clock… for the four hundred and fifty millionth time," Phoebe sighed in exasperation.

Leo let his body sag against the table. "I'm his father," he muttered. "I'm supposed to protect him. I'm supposed to teach him to make good decisions. Guess future Chris was right about me being a dead-beat."

"No, Leo," Paige said. "You are a great father. And you're gonna turn Wyatt back, we know you will. You did it before."

"Yeah, when he came from a future where everyone was alive and happy," Leo growled.

"Okay, so there are some things that've happened that we weren't expecting, or that we wanted to happen. But they did. Some of them we can't change, and some of them we can. The important thing is to separate the two," Phoebe advised.

The three of them got to their feet and surveyed the room for damage.

"I have an unsettling feeling that he'll be back," Paige said warily.

"Of course he will. He wants to kill us now," Phoebe said. "All of our lives are at serious risk. I suggest we move in here as soon as possible."

"How soon is that?" Paige asked.

"Like… tonight?" Phoebe hoped.

"What?" Leo asked, incredulous. "We'll never fit, and your houses aren't even on the market."

"We've got bigger things to worry about, Leo," Phoebe said. "I'm scared. I want us all to live. If we have to sleep in the attic, or in the basement, or in the closet, we'll do it. You're the only one that can heal us, and I don't want to take a chance somewhere else."

"Fine, whatever, get your stuff," Leo agreed. Phoebe dashed off to the kitchen to get Pam. "Talk about Superman," Leo muttered to himself. He was beginning to realize how much everyone else in this family relied on him.

_Up, up, and away_

_Away from me_

_Well it's alright_

_You can all sleep sound tonight_

_I'm not crazy_

_Or anything_

_I can't stand to fly_

_I'm not that naïve_

_Men weren't meant to ride_

_With clouds between their knees_

_I'm only a man_

_In a silly red sheet_

_Diggin' for kryptonite on this one-way street_

_Only a man_

_In a funny red sheet_

_And it's not easy_

_It's not easy to be me_


	24. Wondering, Waiting, & Planning

A/N: I really don't feel like writing anything now... my computer's all screwed up, my dad did something to it while I was away a few weeks ago. I'm sorry I couldn't get any chapters of this up before because of it. This isn't a very strong chapter, but the next one is, so hopefully I'll be able to get that one up soon.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

"That the last one?" Phoebe asked as Pam carried a cardboard box through the front door.

"Yep," Pam replied, putting it down on the floor.

"Well, I must say," Paige began, "I think this is a record move-in time for us." Not even a day had gone by since they'd decided they'd be safer in the Manor.

"Drastic times call for drastic measures," Phoebe muttered. "Why don't I get The Book so we can all make sure we didn't miss anything on saving Wyatt, and until then, you guys can help Mark, Josh, and Leo unpack?"

"Okay," Paige replied. Pam nodded in agreement. They each took off in different directions.

………………………………………

"When do we attack again?" Wyatt asked impatiently. He wasn't in a cage anymore. The evil inside him had already done its damage. The small pieces of the old Wyatt that were left could still think for him, but they were far too weak to regain control. And since the Charmed Ones were gone, Wyatt was essentially the most powerful being alive. For now, and probably for a while, he would be lost.

"We're not going to attack them again," the female Girene answered.

"Why not?" Wyatt asked.

"Because they'll be more than ready for us," the male Girene stated. "We should probably stay away from them for a while."

"So… what? We're just going to sit here and wait?" Wyatt asked.

"Of course not," the female Girene said. "We have our sights set on something much grander."

"What's that?" Wyatt asked.

"Going after the mortals," the male Girene grinned evilly.

……………………………………

"Well…" Paige yawned. "The Power of Three Spell doesn't say three sisters. Maybe any three witches can use it?"

"And come up with a result as powerful? I doubt it," Phoebe groaned. They had been at this for hours, checking every page of the Book of Shadows carefully. The severe letdown everyone had felt when Piper had died was fueling them to never say die on this issue… they couldn't bear to loose two Halliwells in such a short time. But even precise and meticulous searching was yielding no results.

"Well, maybe we should just keep it in mind. In case we have to use it as a last resort," Pam suggested.

"Yeah, maybe." Phoebe looked at her watch. "We all need sleep. Chris already called it a night a half an hour ago. C'mon, up to bed." They rose slowly from the couch and walked across the hallway to the staircase.

……………………………………

Pam knocked on Chris' door.

"Hey…" she said, opening it a crack. She was carrying old bedsheets under her arm. "Um, there's really not enough space for my mom, Josh, Allie, and me all in one room. Do you mind if I crash on your floor?"

"Sure, whatever," Chris said groggily. He closed the book he'd been trying to focus on and put it on his nightstand. Pam laid the sheets out on the floor, and the overwhelming scent of moth balls filled the room. "Ugh, where did you find those?" Chris asked.

"I dunno, my mom pulled them out from somewhere," Pam answered, lying down. "Be happy you don't have to sleep with your nose right in them."

"Mmm." Chris turned off his lamp, and moonlight became the only illumination.

There was silence in the room for a minute. Pam was thinking of the thoughts she's read from Chris earlier that day. Even now, hours later, she could still tell that he felt worthless. Should she say something? Surely he'd get mad at her for reading his mind. But she couldn't let him suffer like that, could she? How would she even bring up the topic? She decided to take a casual comment and see if it led anywhere.

"You don't think they'll attack in the middle of the night, do you?" Pam asked.

"Maybe they will, maybe they won't," Chris said matter-of-factly. "Either way, we'll eventually be dead."

"Stop thinking like that," Pam encouraged. "If you think your life is worthless, you're going to act like fighting is worthless. What if you give up and let yourself be killed, only to find out later that if you'd only orbed away and met up with one of us, we could stop them?" Chris didn't answer. "You have to care, Chris. Once this is all over, things will go back to normal again. Remember that?"

"What if it doesn't? What if he kills us?" Chris asked pessimistically.

"Then we will see all our dead relatives and things will be exactly like they were a year ago… just better, because there'll be more of us. Sounds like a win-win situation to me."

"How do you always manage to immediately think of the positives in a situation?" Chris asked.

"My foster uncle used to play that Monty Python song a lot, you know the one. _'Always look on the bright side of life…'_" Pam sang, although the answer was just a joke.

"Alright, alright, I get it," Chris interrupted. "I'd like to go to sleep now."

"Goodnight," Pam answered softly.

After that, she didn't know if Chris was really sleeping or not. As for her, she was wide awake, thinking about the possibility of not being able tomake Wyatt good again. So far, tthe only option that the family was discussing was trying to turn him. There was another one though, Pam dared to think. What if they had to kill him? She shuddered as she imagined a scene where she was forced to take her own cousin's life.

"I can't do it," she thought to herself. "I'll never be able to do something so horrible."


	25. A Day Of Infamy

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update... the damn website wasn't letting me upload!

Mediatorsk: Ha ha, you know the song too! I have no idea what the heck inspired me to put that in there... just one of my weird moments, I guess.

Lucy Knight: I promise I'll keep writing! It was just the website that made me take so long! So if this happens again, I'm sorry!

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Wyatt sat leaning against a stone wall, trying to find some peace in his crowded head. Often he had seen television shows where a character had an angel figure on one shoulder and a devil on the other, but it was extremely confusing for it to happen outside of a cartoon, let alone _live _it.

"I thought they wanted me to hurt someone close to me, not a city full of helpless strangers," once voice, obviously what was left of his conscience, muttered. The Girenes were planning to deliberately expose magic to the city of San Francisco, in order to scare them and "take over" the city. The way they figured it, once they were sure they could get one city to bow down, moving on to more would become easier and easier with time. They wanted to rule.

"I can't believe it," Wyatt's conscience thought again. "I make one stupid judgement call, and the next thing I know, I'm a dictator."

"Oh please," another voice began. It was the same as the other, but the tone was different. It seemed darker somehow. "With all of my power, scaring a few worthless mortals shouldn't be a problem at all. If I rule them, they will have to do as I say. Perhaps I could order them to use their weapons against witches, while I could hold off some of their whitelighters…"

"Plans to kill witches? I can't be thinking this! This can't be happening," Wyatt thought desperately. But there was no use denying it. They attacked at dawn, and his resistance would certainly mean a painful death by the Girenes. He had no choice.

………………………………………

"It's still non-lethal," Pam observed as she peered over the brewing potion batch. They were trying to figure out if there was something they could add to the potions they'd used to defend themselves the day before. If only Piper had written down the ingredients for the three potions she'd whipped up to use against Cole so long ago...

"Uh, maybe more Mandrake," Phoebe suggested as she peered over a map, shaking her head as the scying crystal once again failed to point out Wyatt's location.

"We already added that, remember? Any more and the whole house'll blow down."

"Oh, right," Phoebe recalled.

"Are you okay?" Pam asked. "You seem kind of spaced out today."

"I'm just thinking," Phoebe replied. "Something doesn't feel right about this. If Wyatt was going to try to kill us again, don't you think he would've done it by now? Unless he's planning something, which has the potential to make us perpetually screwed…"

"Guys, come in here!" Paige called from the living room. "Now!"

"You don't think…?"

"I dunno. Go," Phoebe said as she coaxed Pam through the kitchen door. She picked up Allie out of her highchair, careful not to leave the baby alone, and followed.

Paige was sitting on the edge of the couch, eyes glued to the TV.

"What's going on?" Pam asked as she noticed the words 'Breaking News' at the bottom of the screen.

"It's Wyatt," Paige said warily. "He exposed magic… to the entire city."

The words hit everyone in the room like a ton of bricks and hung in the air like a haunting chill.

"Oh my God," Phoebe said, sitting down next to Paige. It seemed that Allie could sense the nervous tone in the room, for she immediately became uneasy and Phoebe had to continually rock her so she wouldn't cry and prevent them from hearing the news. The three women watched in horror as they learned the details of what had happened. Although Wyatt had not yet been indentified by police, his image was clearly visible on the screen before he spotted the camera and angrily threw an energy ball at it. (At this the channel was changed to a news team with an undamaged camera.)

"Someone's bound to recognize him," Pam pointed out. And with that, the phone began to ring. And it didn't stop ringing, as friend after friend called to ask what was going on. Luckily, most of them were witches, but it was still difficult to explain.

"This can't be happening," Phoebe said as she rocked Allie, barely blinking as she watched the reports. Pam wouldn't have stirred either if she didn't have to move to another spot on the rug to avoid Paige's pacing. Currently she was talking to the owner of a magic shop she frequented.

"No, Crystal, none of us encouraged this! What do you think we are, evil?" Paige said, the anger coming through in her voice. Pam wondered how a fellow Wiccan could ever think of accusing one of the Charmed Ones of betrayal. "We…" Paige's tone changed suddenly to something that sounded both exhausted and grim. "We're not sure how to stop him." She hung up the phone before Crystal could go any further, ripped the phone from it's cord, and plopped down on the couch.

This was the first time Pam noticed how thin her aunt really was stretched. Paige had always been the most devoted witch of all of them, and not being able to figure this one out was really cutting into her. New lines had formed in her face from stress, and her roots were starting to show in her hair. Problem was, they were gray, not black.

"What are we going to do?" Pam asked as she looked back at the TV. She pushed a box of things from their houses that hadn't been unpacked so everyone could see the picture better.

"If Piper was here, she'd think of something," Phoebe said solemnly. Even without this huge toll, she would've still felt like she wasn't doing a good job as the oldest sister. Wyatt's turning just made it worse.

"We can still turn him back, right?" Chris asked hopefully from the foyer. No one had noticed he'd been standing there. The tone in his voice made him sound like a little kid who feared he wouldn't get to go tothe beach when the skies darkened.

"I don't know, Chris. We've tried everything… and we've failed," Paige admitted. The words lowered everyone's moral severely.

"Maybe he'll come to his senses," Phoebe said, trying to make everyone feel better.

"When?" Pam asked. Immediately after she uttered the word, she knew it was the wrong thing to ask. Everyone felt helpless again. She cursed herself for not thinking before she spoke.


	26. The Takeover

A/N: Ah, school... I hate it so. ;)

Mediatorsk: Yeah, as I was writing, I realized that I was making the Charmed Ones seem awfully lazy. That's why I put in the part about Phoebe scrying for Wyatt, so it appears that they _would _stand up to Wyatt if they knew where he was.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The pastfew weeks had been hell. Paige, Phoebe, Pam, Chris, and Leo had tried time and time again to overthrow Wyatt, but it proved far too difficult for just three witches to go up against hundreds of demons. Yes, hundreds. After those in the Underworld had seen Wyatt's immense power and how easily the city of San Francisco had bent to his will, they wanted in on the power. In just two weeks, every mortal with a TV had learned of the existence of magic. Of course, Wyatt hadn't spoken of demons, only witches and how evil they were. Knowing the world's history with witches, everyone instantly believed. Some even thought of Wyatt as a messenger of God, here to drive away Satan's servants and instill a holy rule once again.

Even worse, the Halliwells seemed to be fighting alone. They'd tried to gather a Wiccan army to go against Wyatt's forces, but no one would agree. Every witch they knew felt betrayed, like the Halliwells could have done something to prevent Wyatt's switch. Some even believed they aided it. Perhaps if they weren't so laden with grief, they could've realized sooner what was going on. No one in the family would ever forgive themselves for what the world was slowly becoming. And no matter how hard they tried, there was nothing they could do to stop it. Even with powers, they were powerless.

……………………………

"The mortals' President has just about run out of tanks to send over here. He should stop trying to resist us soon… then we'll make him bow down," the male Girene said greedily.

"We?" Wyatt asked. "_I've _been doing everything for you! If you're going to just keep sitting back and taking credit for my magic…" he formed an energy ball when he talked.

"Easy, easy," the female Girene said. "You _are _getting credit. Haven't you heard what the mortals are saying about you?"

"Yes, but most demons still bow to you. The glory is rightfully mine," Wyatt reminded. He was as power-hungry as them by now, laughing at how the mortals shook with fear in his presence. "We had a deal, you know."

"What do you mean?" the female Girene asked.

"You said if I joined you, you'd resurrect my mother. I'm waiting," Wyatt said impatiently.

"Is that really important? Do you even miss her anymore?" the male Girene asked.

"We **had **a deal!" Wyatt shouted.

"Well in that case, the deal's off," the female Girene said.

"_What_?" Wyatt asked furiously.

"We lied. We can't resurrect the dead. Not since 1523."

"The Book was right," Wyatt realized. "You _lied _to me!"

"Well yes, but look what we've given you! You have powers now that you would never have had if you stayed good. You can do whatever you want without personal gain. You don't have morality weighing you down. And best of all…" the female Girene said, stepping closer to Wyatt and smirking, "you will rule with us forever."

Wyatt looked at her angrily, an evil glare in his eyes. "No," he said. "I won't rule with you."

"Well, you'd be foolish to turn back to good now," the male Girene said. "Do you really think everyone on that side will accept you?"

"No," Wyatt said. "But demons and mortals will. They already have." He formed two energy balls in his hands.

"What are you doing?" the female Girene asked apprehensively.

"Something I should've done a long time ago. And I would've, if I'd realized how powerless you really are. What are you, the only two left of your species?"

"Uh…" the male Girene started, backing away from Wyatt cautiously.

"I knew it. You're both frauds! And I won't share my power with two _lower-level_ demons who don't deserve it." Before anyone could react, Wyatt tossed the energy balls and forever disintegrated the two Girenes.

Now _he _had absolute power. And he liked it.


	27. Family Feud, Part 2

A/N: You have NO idea how sorry I am for not updating! FanFiction and my computer were at war, and _finally_ the site is working! I couldn't do _anything _until recently. So now, I'm back! And I promise to be as prompt as possiblewith the chapters. There's only a few left.

The song used at the end of this chapter is "Blowin' In The Wind" by Bob Dylan. I know it won't look like it makes any sense on paper, but it just fit right in my head somehow. You try listening to it after you read. At least it's not _another_ fanfic with Coldplay's "Fix You." I swear, that's the fanfic song of the year or something...

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

The confused demon looked around, trying to figure out who had just summoned him. Upon seeing Wyatt, he instantly bowed.

"My Lord," he said humbly. Wyatt loved the title he'd appointed to himself. "How can I be of service?"

"As you are probably aware, every witch around wants to see me killed," Wyatt began. "They are threats. Most of them are pathetic, but some on the other hand are strong. My aunts- the two remaining Halliwell sisters- pose the greatest threat to my life."

"I am aware, sir," the demon replied.

"So… I'll need you to take them out," Wyatt said.

"What? Sir, they may not have the power of three anymore, but I'm still no match for them. It's suicide."

"In that case… how do you think they'd fare against four of you?" Wyatt waved his hand as he talked, and before the demon could comprehend what he was doing, three clones stood beside him. Wyatt grinned evilly at the quartet. "Form a strategy. If you charge them sporadically, they'll have no idea what's going on," he suggested.

"One thing, my Lord," the original demon asked. "What about their whitelighter? Whatever damage we do to them, he can easily fix."

Wyatt grinned again. "Leave that to me."

…………………………………………………

Phoebe peered over the cauldron. "Well, if this works, we'll have one kick-ass potion," she said.

"Then we'll just have to figure out how to catch Wyatt off guard long enough to throw it at him," Paige commented.

By now, everyone was beginning to accept that there wasn't a way to turn Wyatt back. Of course, they still couldn't bear loosing another family member, yet alone causing the loss, so once their third power-stripping potion had failed, they decided to make one that, if effective, would leave Wyatt completely invalid- like a vegetable. They hated imagining him, with all of the potential he once held, unable to do anything at all, but it was better than killing him. That was a last resort.

"Leo, any strategies on an attack formation?" Phoebe asked. He didn't answer. "Leo?" she asked again.

"Shh…" he replied.

"What is it?" Paige asked.

"You're not gonna believe this… but it's Wyatt. He's calling for me," Leo said. The optimism was evident in his voice.

"What?" Phoebe asked in disbelief.

"Do you think he wants to turn back?" Paige asked.

"Maybe," Leo said. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he smiled. "I'm going to him."

"Of course. By all means, do whatever it takes to talk him back here," Phoebe said. Leo orbed out. "Okay, back to the potion…"

"Hmm…" Paige muttered.

"What is it?" Phoebe asked.

"Nothing, just… is it cold in here?"

"Not really… do you want me to turn the heat up?"

"I dunno. I just felt real cold all of a sudden…"

Phoebe's eyes widened as she realized what was going on. "Oh my God," she gasped.

"'Oh my God,' what?" Paige asked.

Instead of answering, Phoebe dashed into the living room where Pam was watching TV. Upon her entrance, Pam could instantly tell that something was wrong.

"Mom, what's going on?" she asked.

"No time to explain. Get your sister, get Chris, get Stella and Andy, take some potions, and lock yourselves in the attic. Promise me you won't come out."

"Why…"

"Pam, promise me that you and Chris will stay up there and protect the children," Phoebe said sternly.

"I promise," Pam replied.

Phoebe hugged her. "I love you. Now go, quickly."

Pam was scared- she'd never seen her mother act like that before. But she did as she was told and ran up the stairs.

Phoebe returned to the kitchen. Paige looked at her like she was nuts.

"Grab an athimae and fill up some potion vials," she said, offering no explanation.

"Why?" Paige asked. "What's going on here?"

Phoebe paused, formulating her response. "Your life might be in danger."

Just then, as if on cue, a demon shimmered in right next to Phoebe. Without second thought, she plunged the athimae into him and he erupted in flames. An eerie silence then took over the room.

"Did you have a premonition of him or something?" Paige asked.

"No," Phoebe replied. "It was something you said."

After she finished that, a demon appeared in the kitchen again… only it seemed to be the same demon as before. He stood right in Paige's blind spot.

"Paige, look out!" Phoebe called warily. Paige turned to see the demon spring to attack and orbed out in fear. Phoebe hurled her athimae at him, but he shimmered away and all she hit was the wall.

Paige reappeared. "What in the world is happening?" she pondered aloud.

"I dunno… but I could swear that demon was the same one I vanquished two minutes ago," Phoebe replied warily.

"Did you get him this time… er, again?" Paige asked.

"No, he got away… which means he'll be back. Keep on your toes," Phoebe advised.

They began to walk around the kitchen, surveying to make sure no one else was hidden anywhere, waiting to attack. Phoebe peered in the laundry area, and the same demon appeared in front of her.

"He's in here!" she called to Paige, backing up.

"No, he's over here!" Paige called back. She too was retreating from the other side of the kitchen.

The two sisters walked backwards until they met each other- in front of them were two of the exact same demon. No time to think about how this was possible- right now their only concern was surviving. They stared at the two demons, waiting for someone to make a move. That was when a third one shimmered in right behind them, knife in hand. Sensing the presence, Phoebe spun around and grabbed the hand with the weapon. She flipped the demon over her shoulder and onto the floor. That's when the other two sprung to action.

Energy balls went flying, and both sisters deflected them with their respective powers. Suddenly everyone was running around the kitchen, ducking, throwing, punching… it was like some sort of warped boxing match.

………………………………………

"Wyatt?" Leo called out as he finished orbing. "Where are you?"

"Over here… dad," Wyatt replied, emerging from the shadows. Leo caught on to the sinister tone in his voice, and his guard went up.

"You said you wanted to talk," Leo said.

"Yes…" Wyatt smirked. "I wanted to ask you, what do you think the funeral arrangements are going to be for Paige and Phoebe?"

"What?" Leo asked in disbelief. Before he could do anything else, Wyatt had magically encased his father in the very same magic-proof cage that he had been imprisoned in as he struggled between good and evil.

"You know," Wyatt laughed, "they say love is blind, but they never said it made you stupid."

"Let me go!" Leo demanded.

…………………………………………

The mad dash through the kitchen continued. On one lap around the counter, Phoebe stumbled over the unconscious demon she'd previously flipped to the ground. One of the other demons took this opportunity to thrust an energy ball at the unbalanced witch. Paige instantly turned to her sister and orbed the energy ball away… taking her eyes off the demons. They struck.

"Paige!" Phoebe cried out as she sailed backwards against the walls. Two energy balls, dead-on.

Phoebe couldn't run over to her collapsed sister just yet- there were still demons to deal with. She grabbed the cauldron full of potion they'd been saving for use against Wyatt, and without thinking twice, she tossed the contents at them. They instantly fell to the floor, completely unharmed but also completely unable to move. Phoebe tossed the cauldrom aside angrily- she had just realized that the potion's contents hadn't been written down. In her rage for what they'd just done to Paige, she pulled the athimae from the wall and killed them both.

"LEO!" Phoebe shouted. She prayed that he'd hear her as she held Paige's head in her lap. The energy balls had left a gruesome mark, and Paige was unconscious. Her breathing was shallow. "LEO!" Phoebe screamed again, even louder.

…………………………………………………

Back in his cage, Leo winced in pain.

"Tell me, which one is it?" Wyatt asked.

"It's Paige…" Leo replied through a wince.

"Ah, so the youngest dies first."

"Not if you let me go heal her!" Leo begged. "Please, Phoebe's calling me. Don't be responsible for your aunt's death, Wyatt. You don't have to do this…"

"Where exactly are you going with this, dad?" Wyatt smirked. "You know, if you joined me, you wouldn't have to go through with these stupid moral pep talks."

"Never," Leo replied defiantly. "Just because you took the easy way out doesn't mean I will, too."

"Hold your tongue," Wyatt warned.

"No…" Leo shut his eyes. "She's gone. Dammit, Wyatt, just let me go! What are you trying to do here?"

"One down, one to go," Wyatt replied nonchalantly. "And you're not getting out until that happens."

……………………………………………

Phoebe was weeping. She had lost her voice shouting for Leo, and Paige no longer had a pulse. She tried to cry out for the whitelighter again, but her voice was too horse and the tears were making her hyperventilate. She'd known this was going to happen when Paige mentioned that she felt cold. It was the same chill her other two sisters had felt when they died. Why couldn't she have just figured out some other way to protect Paige? She was mad at everything… the world for making her lose everyone, the demons for killing Paige, herself for not thinking of a better strategy, Leo for not responding to her calls…

"This CAN'T be happening!" she shouted with all of her energy, kicking the cabinents.

Upstairs in the attic, Chris and Pam had been hearing everything for the last twenty minutes or so.

"I really think we should go down there…" Chris said again.

"I promised my mom we'd stay up here and protect them," Pam replied, gesturing towards her five year-old cousins who were playing with the dollhouse. She gently rocked Allie.

"Well, I didn't make any promises. Did you hear all the commotion down there? And the shouting? Something's not right," Chris said.

"Well, then we should definitely stay here," Pam said. Chris eyed her. "I mean, if something _is_ wrong… we have to carry on the family legacy-"

"Stop it!" Chris said. "Don't think like that."

"Shh… you're upsetting Stella and Andy," Pam advised.

"I don't care anymore. I just wanna get out of here."

……………………………………………

"Alright, I've waiting long enough," Wyatt said finally. "Tell Aunt Phoebe she's lucky. I'll get her soon." He released Leo from the cage.

After spending forever trying to talk him down, Leo was tired of leaving with some cryptic response that would attempt to affect his son's morals. "You bastard," he said instead, and orbed away. Wyatt gave him a very evil glare before he did.

……………………………………………

Leo appeared in the kitchen. As soon as Phoebe saw the blue orbs, she shot up to face him.

"Where the HELL have you been?" she shouted. Her voice was raspy from all the screaming she'd been doing.

"Phoebe-"

"She's DEAD, Leo! Paige is dead!" The tears were beginning to fall again. "I called for you over and over. Did you even hear me, or did you just tune me out?"

"Phoebe, listen…"

"I don't want to talk to you," she sniffled. "Get out."

"What?" Leo asked, dumbfounded.

"Get. Out."

Leo too looked on the verge of tears now, but he obliged and orbed away. Just then, Phoebe heard Pam and Chris coming down the stairs. They had heard her shouts and were coming to investigate. She met them in the living room.

"Mom, what's-"

Phoebe hugged Pam before she could continue. She wiped her eyes, but it was no use. More tears only followed. "Go to your rooms," she told them. "Keep an eye on the little ones. And whatever you do, don't go into the kitchen." She wanted to spare them the memory of seeing their aunt brutalized.

"There's blood on your hands," Pam said to Phoebe. "And your shirt."

"Just go upstairs, please…"

"Tell us what's going on,"Chris said. Pam knew that she wouldn't want to know whateverthe answer was, but she didn't stop Chrisfrom asking.

Phoebe sighed and grabbed a box of tissues. "Sit down."

_How many roads must a man walk down_

_Before you call him a man?_

_How many seas must the white dove sail_

_Before she sleeps in the sand?_

_Yes'n, how many times must the cannonballs fly_

_Before they're forever banned?_

_The answer, my friends_

_Is blowing in the wind_

_The answer is blowing in the wind_

_Yes'n, how many years can a mountain exist_

_Before it's washed to the sea?_

_Yes'n, how many years must some people exist_

_Before they're allowed to be free?_

_Yes'n, how many times can a man turn his head_

_And pretend that he just doesn't see?_

_The answer, my friends_

_Is blowing in the wind_

_The answer is blowing in the wind_

_Yes'n, how many times must a man look up_

_Before he can see the sky?_

_Yes'n, how many ears must one man have_

_Before he can hear people cry?_

_Yes'n, how many deaths will it take till he knows_

_That too many people have died?_

_The answer, my friends_

_Is blowing in the wind_

_The answer is blowing in the wind_

A/N: Okay, I know what you're thinking. You hate me. I go missing for almost three months, come back, and kill off another sister. Like I said before, I WILL fix this. You'll just have to go with me, and try not to hate me too much. And if anyone was planning on ruining my Christmas by killing me for all this... ha ha, _I'll_be on vacation! Good luck trying to find me!


	28. More Breaks In The Family Chain

A/N: See, I told you I'd update quickly:) Enjoy...

Mediatorsk: My loyal reviewer... thanks for coming back! Have fun in Canada!

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

"She is a good witch! She is a _Halliwell_! And she deserves to be buried as a Halliwell!" Phoebe screamed at Mark. By now, she was furious with him.

"She's _also_ my wife. And I want her buried on my family plot," Mark retorted.

"Why? Why?" Phoebe asked, her voice breaking. She was trying not to cry. "Paige _loved_ being a witch. She was as devoted to the craft as she was to her kids, and she _deserves_ to be honored for that. Dammit, Paige gave her life for this, and not burying her with her mother and sisters and grandmother is just disgracing her memory!"

"That's exactly it," Mark said. "She was killed through witchcraft, her sisters were killed through witchcraft, her mother was killed through witchcraft, and I don't want my children to be next. They have to know what their mother was like aside from this whole 'Charmed' thing."

"So, what, you just want them to forget about it?" Phoebe asked in disbelief.

"Exactly. I don't want them to die too. They're better off as normal children."

"You can't deny who they are," Phoebe said angrily. "They have _powers_! You can't just pretend those don't exist! Things are gonna come after them, that's just how it is. It's their destiny! Everything happens for a reason."

"It's not fair for them to be fighting for their lives everyday at five years old." With that, Mark turned down the hallway and started up the stairs. Phoebe looked over at Pam, who was curled up on the couch and wearing a very depressed expression. She didn't have to turned her head to look back, for she'd been watching the argument since it began.

"I've lost all respect for that man," Phoebe sighed. She went upstairs.

………………………………………………

"What are you doing?" Phoebe asked as she saw Mark standing by the Book of Shadows.

"I'm saving my kids," he replied, brushing past Phoebe as he left the room. Phoebe walked over to the book and read the title at the top of the page. 'To Bind.' She looked at it open-mouthed and then chased after Mark, who had already retrieved Stella and Andy from their room.

"You can't do that," Phoebe said, pointed to the attic stairs. Mark knew what she was referring to.

"But you can," he replied. "And you're going to."

"_Bind their powers_?" Phoebe exclaimed in disbelief. "I can't do that. I _won't _do that!"

"Phoebe, these are my children, not yours. If I don't want them to be witches, then it's my say. Not yours. What _are_ you anyway, their half-aunt?"

"Insulting me isn't going to get me any closer to reading that," Phoebe seethed. "I am a _witch_. You are not. They are. That gives me more say than the average _half-aunt_," she snapped.

"Well, unless you think that's going to work on a judge, you don't have custody here. It's my call. Bind their powers."

"Doing that will just make things worse!" Phoebe stressed. "This whole household is targeted for attack! Powers or no powers, Wyatt's gonna send someone. And turning Stella and Andy into mortals isn't gonna improve their chances of survival any time soon."

"It will if I leave," Mark replied.

"What?"

"First thing after the funeral, we're gone. I'm getting my own place and raising these kids far away from any magical influence."

"What if I don't bind their powers?" Phoebe asked defiantly, folding her arms across her chest.

"Doesn't matter. We're going. And if they're still witches when we go, you can bet that you'll never get to see them again," Mark threatened.

Phoebe couldn't believe how he had turned from a loving, family-friendly guy to someone so hateful. She still debated refusing, but she knew that those children would indeed be safer if they were far off of Wyatt's radar. She had to lose them to save them. A tear fell from her eye as she stroked Stella's hair. That little girl and her brother were Phoebe's only remind of Paige.

"Follow me."

Up in the attic, everyone gathered around the podium.

"What are we doing, Aunt Phoebe?" Andy asked. It pained Phoebe to have to lie to them.

"Nothing. It's just a little game. Come here." She held their hands and took a deep breath before beginning the spell. "I take your hands in mine, and with this string, I shall entwine, your powers I forever bind… from now until the end of time."

It had been hard, but it was done.

"_Thank_ _you_ for cooperating," Mark said nastily as he led his newly mortal children out of the attic.

……………………………………………

Phoebe plopped down next to Pam on the couch, wearing the same depressed and hopeless expression as her daughter. They stared aimlessly at Price Is Right reruns on the TV.

"What happened?" Pam asked. All she could read from her mother's thoughts was that she was very angry at Mark.

"He made me bind their powers," Phoebe said helplessly.

"What? Whose?"

"Stella and Andy's," she replied. "He doesn't want them to be involved in witchcraft whatsoever."

"Well, that's gonna be a little hard…"

"They're moving."

"What?"

"Right after the funeral. But of course, we can't _have_ a funeral until we agree on where the deceased is to be buried…" Phoebe sighed. "This family's falling apart."


	29. Fix Them

A/N: Okay, I totally lied about not writing another fic with the song "Fix You" in it. I wasn't gonna use it, but I happened to be writing this while listening to my iTunes library, which was on shuffle... anyway, the guitar solo in the middle just went so well with what was happening in the chapter that I had to put it in. I even read the chapter over again with the "appropriate" parts of the song! Cool effect:P

Mediatorsk: Yes, I will, I promise. I'm just drawing it out because it creates more storylines... you'll see. And drama. Well, it would if my stupid computer didn't make me leave you hanging for two months... sorry again. And it's okay if you don't review over the holidays... I won't write! lol. I'm going away, to a remote location in the middle of the desert with no internet access that my grandma just chooses to call home. lol.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Phoebe stared at the tombstone in front of her with mixed emotions. Of course, she was sad over the loss of her sister, but she was more angry at Mark for what he'd done. Not only had he selfishly taken witchcraft away from his children, but he'd disgraced his late wife by not burying her in the Halliwell crypt. The grave marker in front of Phoebe read 'Paige Joyce,' Mark's surname.

_When you try your best but you don't succeed_

_When you get what you want but not what you need_

_When you feel so tired that you can't sleep_

_Stuck in reverse_

Phoebe and Pam huddled close together in the rain. As everyone watched Mark's car drive away, they knew from past family feuds that he wasn't going to return any time soon. The past few days had been one of the most tense situations any of them had been through. Up until now, they'd still had to live together. Usually, Phoebe and Mark avoided contact, but there were certain times, like meals, when they couldn't. During those times, they'd usually just glared silently at each other. It seemed, from Pam's point of view, to have taken all of Phoebe's strength not to scream at Mark on every occasion.

_And the tears come streaming down your face_

_When you loose something you can't replace_

_When you love someone but it goes to waste_

_Could it be worse?_

There was no sound around what was left of the Halliwell family but the gusts of wind and the rain on their umbrellas. Funerals are always ten times more tragic if the weather is bad.

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

"I was so stupid," Phoebe said suddenly.

"Mom, you can't blame yourself for Mark making you take away Stella and Andy's powers," Pam comforted.

"No, it's not that," Phoebe replied. She turned to her nephew. "Chris… I'm so sorry for screaming at your father. After what's happened in the past few days, I've realized how bad it was. I don't want to fight with Leo forever. He's your dad, and it's not fair for you two to be separated. My reasons for making him leave were totally irrational… and let's face it, we'll need each other if there's any chance we're gonna get through this."

_High up above or down below_

_When you're too in love to let it go_

_But if you never try you'll never know_

_Just what you're worth_

"That means a lot to me, Aunt Phoebe," Chris said, crackinga small smile.

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

Just then, Leo orbed in. Phoebe's eyes watered, and so did his. They hugged.

"I'm sorry!" Phoebe sobbed.

"Dad…" Chris said, glad that his father had returned. He too joined hug, and so did Pam.

Unfortunately, this small little circle was the only thing left of an honored family name with beloved relatives. They had each other, and that was it. No one could fix this.

_Tears streaming_

_Down your face_

_When you loose something you cannot replace_

_Tears streaming_

_Down your face_

_And I…_

_Tears streaming_

_Down your face_

_I promise you I will learn from my mistakes_

_Tears streaming _

_Down your face_

_And I…_

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try_

_To fix you_

A/N: C'mon, people, review! I know Mediatorsk isn't the only one out there... 23 people read the last chapter! So how come only one reviewed? _Please_ review! I want feedback!


	30. Faceoff

A/N: 25 people read the last chapter... and zero reviewed. C'mon! I'm not gonna get mad at you if you don't like it or anything... Anyway, tomorrow I leave for Christmas break, so I'm leaving you guys with a cliffhanger until I come back on January first. Enjoy... he he he.

CHAPTER THIRTY

"Okay, are we ready to do this?" Phoebe asked as Pam took her hand.

After spending a week or two figuring out exactly how to concoct the same potion they had before, it was finally complete and they were ready to go after Wyatt. The family knew that if they waited any longer, he would strike them first. A few demons had already attacked, but they were easy prey, and everyone in the house knew that wasn't an accident. Wyatt wanted their guard down so they wouldn't be prepared when he launched a full-force assault.

"I think so," Leo answered Phoebe. He held her other hand. The only person absent was Chris- everyone had collectively decided that he should stay home to protect Allie. If any danger was to come about, he was instructed to orb her out of the house, and keep orbing until whatever demon was there had lost track of him.

"Alright. Let's go," Pam said. Leo orbed them out of the attic.

…………………………………………………

Nervous anxiety filled the three as they appeared somewhere in the Underworld. They were pretty confident in their abilities, but considering what had happened to Paige only about three weeks ago, the shadow of a doubt still gave them all chills.

"Alright, can you sense him nearby?" Phoebe asked.

"I think-" But before Leo had the chance to go any further, a darklighter had appeared out of nowhere and shot Leo with an arrow.

"Leo!" Phoebe gasped. Pam threw one of the potions at the darklighter, who collapsed on the floor. At least they knew it worked. She and Phoebe knelt down beside Leo, who was now lying on the ground in pain.

"We should get out of here," Pam said warily.

"You're right," Phoebe replied. "Leo, can you orb?"

"I think so," he answered. Suddenly, a demon shimmered in.

"Mom, look out!" Pam shouted as he threw an energy ball. Phoebe was up and running.She took out a potion, but before she could use it, another demon materialized in front of her. He startled her, and she used it on him instead. Meanwhile the other one was throwing energy balls at Pam, who was barely avoiding them until she used her invisibility. Phoebe threw another potion at the demon, and he too fell to the floor.

"They're gonna keep coming," Pam said from her unseen location.

Phoebe was starting to panic. They had to get Leo out of the Underworld so another Elder could heal him. "Alright, Wyatt, show yourself!" she shouted. "Stop sending all these other guys! Don't be a coward!"

"As you wish…" Came the reply as Wyatt shimmered in. "Hello, Aunt Phoebe." His gaze moved over to Leo, lying on the ground and bleeding. His eyes widened a little, but he returned to his normal glare. It was obvious that he still cared about his dad, even if he didn't want to show it.

Phoebe reached for another potion- that's when the icy cold feeling set in. It was like death. She looked down to discover that she had no vials left. As soon as she looked up again, her eyes met a triumphant energy ball flying straight for her. She started to deflect it, but there was no time. Soon, she had flown through the air and landed on the darklighter's crossbow.

"Mom!" Pam shouted. She angrily chucked a potion at Wyatt, and it hit him right on the shoulder… the only problem was, nothing happened. "C'mon, do you really think _that's_ going to stop me?"

Pam couldn't believe this was happening. After everything they'd worked for,itwas allin vain. Her heart fell as she realized that this was probably the end. Her eyes watered as she ran over to Phoebe, who was lying unconscious on the ground. Wyatt stared at her like a mad dog waiting to attack. Her mind raced as she tried to think of some spell, some power, _anything _that could get her out of this alive.

"I take your hands in mine, and with this string, I shall entwine, your powers I forever bind, from now until the end of time!" she shouted. Wyatt only laughed.

"You're not strong enough to do anything to me," he taunted. Slowly he crept towards her- Pam knew he was doing so just to scare her even more.

"Let the object of objection become but a dream as I cause the scene to become unseen!" she shouted.

"What exactly did you think that was going to do?" Wyatt scoffed. He inched closer, and Pam was out of ideas. Wyatt formed an energy ball in his hand. Just before he struck, Leo leapt forward and hit Wyatt with bolts of electricity.

He staggered backwards, and finally shimmered out. It wasn't that he had been seriously hurt by Leo's attack- he just couldn't stand to fight his own father. Leo collapsed to the floor in exhaustion.

"Oh my God…" Pam started. Before she could go further, Leo had placed his hands on Pam and Phoebe and orbed them out.


	31. The Vow

A/N: I apologize for not updating sooner. One minute, I'm coming home from vacation and they've lost our luggage (that was fun), then the next minute, it's mid-terms! Well anyway, here it is, finally the conclusion to the cliffhanger. Also, the song used towards the end is _Jesus Of Suburbia_ by Green Day.

Mediatorsk: Thanks for the comments to all the others who read! I appreciate it. I actually did get one other review this time.But in case some people didn't see:

"As for you 24 other readers, don't be so lazy - it isn't fair to read and not review at least some of the time. Go on readers, click 'submit review' and write to Patricia!"

damien455: Yeah, I feel the same way about the Wyatt-evil storyline. WAY more interesting. Thanks for reviewing!

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Home at last. That assault had been one of the worst defeats any of the Halliwells had ever suffered. Phoebe and Leo lay on the attic floor side by side. It took a lot of strength from the mortally wounded Leo, but he reached over to Phoebe and his hand began to glow. About ten seconds later, he stopped.

"She's gone," he struggled to say.

Pam felt like she'd been hit with a ton of bricks. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Leo apologized, gasping for breath.

"No…" Pam shook her head in disbelief. Her eyes watered, and tears began to free-fall. "No, this can't be happening… Leo-" she stopped mid-sentence when she noticed that her uncle's eyes were closed and his body was eerily still. "Leo?" she asked, shaking him. "Leo?" Pam was on the verge of hysterics by now. She stood up. "Somebody!" she shouted, hoping it wasn't too late. Maybe some Elder would come and at least be able to save one of them.

No one came. Pam looked back at the bloody corpses on the floor, and nearly gagged. She ran out of the attic in tears before she threw up anywhere. Chris met her at the bottom of the stairs.

"What's going on? I heard you shouting," he said.

Pam wasn't even sure she could talk with how much she was crying. "Everything's fallen apart… it's all wrong… how did this happen?"

"_Pam_…?" Chris asked warily. "What happened?" She didn't answer. "I'm going upstairs," he stated.

"No!" Pam shouted suddenly, blocking his path to the attic. She didn't want him to have to bear seeing what she'd just seen.

"Pam, what's wrong?" Chris asked. He was very worried now, and wished she would just tell him what the problem was.

"Chris…" she had no idea how she was going to tell her cousin what had happened. "You can go upstairs if you want to, but I promise you, you're not gonna like what you'll see. It- It'll change you forever."

Chris looked at her wide-eyed. He didn't even contemplate going upstairs or not- he knew something was wrong, so he rushed up. Pam couldn't bear to have to see his reaction. She started walking down the hall, slowly picking up her pace. By the time she was downstairs, she was running. It wasn't until she got down the front steps that she stopped.

For a minute, Pam had hoped that maybe if she ran far enough, everything would disappear. Of course, she'd realized it was only a fool's hope. She would have to go back in there and somehow try to hold everything together until Josh came home from work… which would unleash a whole new can of worms. Pam thought back to when her Aunt Piper was first injured, and how Leo wasn't allowed to heal her. _This _was what destiny had in store? She couldn't believe it. How could the Elders want nearly the entire Halliwell line to die off? Not to mention let evil control the world... what was going on? Standing there with tears pouring down her face, Pam wondered if maybe she'd made the wrong choice by following witchcraft. Her mother _had _given her the option of binding her powers if she preferred... perhaps she should have taken it. Was Mark the smart one in all of this, betraying the rest of the family in order to stay alive?

The reality of everything was sinking in. Chris, Pam, and Allie were the last Halliwells. There was no doubt that Wyatt would be back for them… would they even be able to defend themselves? Pam remembered how helpless she'd felt in front of Wyatt. And _she _was the oldest of all of them. She's only turned 20 about a month ago, and here she'd inadvertantly become the family matriarch. Everyone else was her responsibility.Of course, Josh would be there, but hewouldn't be able todo anything against evil.

Pam had never felt so alone in the world as she crossed the threshold back into the Manor.

_Home is where your heart is, but what a shame_

_'Cause everyone's heart doesn't beat the same_

_We're beating out of time_

_City of the dead_

_At the end of another lost highway_

_Signs misleading to nowhere_

_City of the damned_

_Lost children with dirty faces today_

_No one really seems to care…_

…………………………………………………

Josh, Pam, and Chris stood in a row at the funeral. The mourners looked even more stunned than they were at how many family members they had lost in such a short period of time. Allie was only two months over a year old. Chris and Josh shook hands and talked with others who came, but Pam didn't budge at all. She stood there holding Allie, eyes staring way off into space. It was an exact mirror image of her mother when Piper had died. Josh stepped off to the side to talk to a group of people who had called him over.

"You okay?" Chris asked Pam. She looked at him incredulously.

"Are you serious? I feel like shit." Chris had never heard Pam curse before, yet alone in front of her little sister, but he didn't comment. "You realize we can't stay in the Manor anymore. Not if we want to stay hidden from Wyatt."

"Where are we gonna go?" Chris asked.

"I dunno…" Pam mumbled. "How could he do this? To us? To our family? _My God…_" She shook her head, biting back tears as she turned away and stared vacantly again. "He's gonna pay for this. Someone's gotta make sure he knows what he's done."

"Pam, don't-" Chris warned.

"No. I'm done being cautious," she sniped. "I'm gonna stop him… or die trying."

TO BE CONTINUED…

A/N: ...in the sequel that I already wrote because this is sort of a prequel that I wrote afterwards to fill in gaps and- I'll stop now. Anyway, Pam's tales of daring detest (man, that would've been a good title for the story... should've thought of that earlier...) are chronicled in "Pamela Halliwell: Wiccan Outcast." I'm also working on a sequel to that one... will I ever stop? Everyone's probably sick of me by now... and how I kill everyone off :P Sorry about that... I promise, no more serial witch murders. I know once again that everyone's probably furious (and that this time, I don't have an escape route... gulp), and it's okay if you send me an angry review, but remember, the dead will return... Now go read the other story! (tried to put a smiley face here to show that I'm joking and not threatening murderously, but it kept eating my exclamation mark for some reason...)


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